[Opinion] Incompetent Police

The popular television series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” on CBS, which started the television drama craze in the United States, is based on the activities of federal crime scene investigators. The team uses finger prints, forensic science, autopsy professionals and evidence examiners, state-of-the-art equipment, and finely tuned techniques, making viewers sweat with anticipation. It also has high artistic value as a three-time Emmy winner. The Korean audience, familiar with this kind of cutting edge technology, has come to expect nothing less of our own police.

But after the Jeju Island kidnapping and murder of elementary school student Yang Ji-seung, these expectations came crumbling down. The girl was found 120 meters from her own home in an orchard shanty, killed after sexual abuse and dead at the scene of the crime. The convict, who lived in this shanty for three years, was a 23-time offender, including child kidnapping. The police called out a force of 34,000 to search the area, but failed to come up with anything after 40 days. The investigation was so loose that they didn’t even search the criminal records of known child-kidnapping convicts.

It’s much the same in the case of Chairman K of the H group, who was accused of employing bodyguards to get revenge on people who struck his son. Police were dispatched to the scene after receiving a tip about an incident at a bar in Seoul on March 9, but did not charge anyone because both sides had come to an agreement. But when the incident was revealed to the media, the police belatedly sent summonses to the involved parties. Afterwards, suspicions arose of the police commander involving himself in the case to cover for Chairman K.

Both cases show substandard discipline and general incompetence in the police. The Ji-seung incident, especially, came at a time when the whole country was jittery over the Incheon kidnapping and murder of elementary student Park. Even in this context, the police conducted a shoddy investigation. Parents are in fear for their children’s safety these days. How can the police expect us to care about the separation of their investigative rights when they can’t even protect the citizens of this country from crime?

Gwon Sun-taek, Editorial Writer, maypole@donga.com