Abuses of power in police force almost never reported

The family of a police officer found dead in June has filed a criminal complaint against the officer's supervisor over alleged abuse of authority.

A national survey ordered after the death found that nearly 2,000 officers say they have been subjected to abuse of power by superiors. About 92 percent of them never reported it.

The officer, who served at a police station under the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, was found dead near their home on June 17. A note was left behind. In it, the officer said the department chief was the source of all their difficulties and that they could no longer keep going, and wrote that the chief had enough connections at headquarters to face no consequences even if a note was left.

The family lodged the complaint in July. The family contends that the officer was made to perform improper duties, or was blocked from taking leave and other entitlements. Article 123 of the Criminal Act, titled abuse of authority, applies when a public official uses their position to make someone perform an act they are not legally required to perform. It also covers obstructing another person from exercising of a right.

The officer had complained of stress at work and described the supervisor as exacting to the point of fastidiousness, the family said.

Police assigned the complaint to Gimpo Police Station, which is examining whether the supervisor issued improper instructions. The Gyeonggi Nambu agency placed the supervisor on standby immediately after the death and will open an internal review once it has the results of the Gimpo investigation.

A nationwide council of police workplace associations said the officer had told colleagues of dreading the arrival of morning, days before what would have been their first wedding anniversary.

“The truth must be established without a shred of doubt, and there must be rigorous investigation and accountability, without exception, for abuse of power and workplace harassment within the organization,” the Nationwide Council of Police Workplace Associations (translated) said. 

The National Police Agency surveyed 133,283 officers at the rank of superintendent or below from June 24 to July 3. Of the 25,386 who responded, 1,959, or 7.7 percent, said they had experienced abuse of power. The agency gave the figures to the office of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Yea-ji.

The most common form of abuse was degrading treatment, at 32.2 percent, followed by disadvantage at work at 19.1 percent, unfair personnel decisions at 14.9 percent and demands for personal favors at 5.5 percent.

Of those who reported experiencing abuse, 91.9 percent, or 1,801 officers, said they had not reported it. They said they doubted a complaint would be handled properly, or feared it would count against them at work.

Asked how their organizations had responded, 42.7 percent said no action had been taken, and 39.2 percent called the response very inappropriate.

“We plan to make the workplace abuse survey a regular exercise to raise awareness,” a National Police Agency official said. “We will also continue promoting the internal misconduct reporting system and the mediation process to eradicate a culture of workplace abuse.”

BY BYUN MIN-CHUL, HEO JEONG-WON [[email protected]]