ACRC Officially Launched the Center for Police Ombudsman

- To strengthen the role of Police Ombudsman in providing in-person consultation over civil complaints -

(May 10 2021, ACRC)

The Center for Police Ombudsman was launched to provide intensive support with police ombudsman activities of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission designed to address civil complaints and violations of rights and interests in the police sector.

At 2 p.m. on the 10th, in the Government Complex Sejong, the Commission held a signboard hanging ceremony for the Center for Police Ombudsman where the ACRC Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson Lee Junghee, and Commissioners Kang Jae-young, Oh Wan-ho and Son Nan-ju of Police Ombudsman joined.

The Center for Police Ombudsman was established to proactively respond to the expected growing number of complaints about investigations and other related areas as the investigative power between the prosecution and the police was rebalanced to allow the police the authority to close initial investigations starting from this year.

Citizens who visit the Center for Police Ombudsman will enjoy intensive consulting services from the case reception stage. Particularly, the Police Ombudsman Consultation System where people consult a police ombudsman in person over their grievances will further be strengthened.

Some 830,000 complaints regarding the police raised along with changes in the environment such as the public’s increased awareness of their rights and interests were filed on e-People last year. The ACRC Police Ombudsman has processed a total of 24,528 police-related grievances through and field investigations as well as by summoning relevant personnel for inquiry to resolve 3,932 cases of them since its inception in December 2006 up until last year.

On February 22 of this year, the ACRC appointed one standing commissioner and two non-standing commissioners for the Police Ombudsman in order to proactively address civil complaints and violations of their rights and interests with regards to investigations.

Separately, on the 28th of the last month, the ACRC Chairperson and the Commissioner General Kim Chang Yong of the National Police Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations, which is expected to provide an opportunity to better deal with civil complaints about the police.

In her remarks delivered during the board-hanging ceremony, the ACRC Chairperson asked for the people to visit the Center for Police Ombudsman in case their rights and interests are violated in dealings with the police and also added that the Commission is committed to proactively tackling civil grievances through intensive consultation and investigation.