The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) initiated an investigation into the violence and abuse among auxiliary and riot control police officers. It recommended the relevant institutions to conduct regular monitoring and human rights training for the prevention of violence and abuses among auxiliary and riot control police officers. The recommendation also included providing a plan to protect victims, conducting an internal investigation, seeking to replace auxiliary and riot control police force with occupational law enforcement officials.
In January 2011, the NHRCK received a complaint alleging that the duty of police management to pay attention to its internal conducts was not observed properly. The complainant argued that a junior auxiliary police officer was abused and assaulted by his superior officer, and died of hematologicmalignancy consequently. In Korea, the auxiliary police force is recruited as a social replacement for mandatory military service and assigned to riot control.
After a preliminary investigation into the complaint case received, the NHRCK expanded the scope of investigation considering the extensive and intensive human rights violations alleged and their social implications. The NHRCK conducted the suo moto investigation on auxiliary and riot control police force from January 2011.
The NHRCK identified several cases of assaults and abuses within the units of “A”, “B”, “C” Metropolitan Police Agencies, and it was found that the police authority already held the concerned perpetuators and the superior officers responsible.
However, it was observed that the National Police Agency has not completely implemented the recommendations issued by the NHRCK in 2007 and 2008 on the protection of human rights of auxiliary and riot control police officers; and there still remained the needs to improve policies and practices on the management of auxiliary police force.
The NHRCK presented recommendations to protect the rights of auxiliary and riot control police force to the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, the Minister of National Defense, Minister of Public Administration and Security, and Minister of Strategy and Finance.
1. The NHRCK submitted the following recommendations to the National Police Agency.
a. To revise the preventive measures and to conduct monitoring on violence and abuse among auxiliary police force.
b. To provide regular human rights training to auxiliary and riot control police force and superior officials; and especially to revise the education and training system for the human rights protection of the police force and the effective unit management.
c. To strengthen the judicial administration concerning assaults and abuses in the police force; and to provide measures to ensure that those who suffered and reported violations shall not receive any administrative disadvantages or other penalties.
d. To organize an investigation team joined by their family members, in the event of the death of auxiliary or riot control police, for the purpose of objective research on the causes of death.
e. To apply various preventive measures to deter causes of assaults and abuses amongst members of auxiliary and riot control police force; and to make counseling and psychotherapy service available to the members.
f. To revise Article 123 (1) of the Codes of Management Practices on Riot Control Police Force (dismissal system of auxiliary and riot control police) to be consistent with the purpose of Article 30 (2) of the Enforcement Decree of Establishment of Riot Control Police Force Act.
g. To conduct a thorough investigation on the Police units jointly by the National Police Agency, NHRCK and external experts in order to address the issue of violence and abuses within the units.
h. To replace existing auxiliary and riot control police force with occupational law enforcement officials with a high degree of responsibility, ultimately contributing to the promotion and protection of human rights of citizens.
2. The NHRCK recommended the Ministry of National Defense to cooperate with the National Police Agency on any necessary matters in the process of abolishing the existing auxiliary and riot control police force.
3. The NHRCK recommended that the Minister of Public Administration and Security provide full support for the National Police Agency’s effort to increase the number of occupational law enforcement officials, ensuring that the abolition of auxiliary and riot control police force would not result in policing vacuum.
4. The NHRCK recommended the Minister of Strategy and Finance to allocate necessary national budget for the National Police Agency. It explained that necessary budget would facilitate the efforts of the National Police Agency to replace the auxiliary and riot control police force with occupational law enforcement officials with a high level of expertise and responsibility, in order to promote and protect human rights of citizens and to provide high quality of security service.
