Busan police are launching a new preventive policing system that treats repeat 112 emergency calls not as simple complaints or administrative burdens, but as "early warning signs of violent crime." By analyzing reports repeatedly filed by the same individuals or at the same locations, the police aim to block crime risks in advance, while linking cases involving mental illness or livelihood-related problems to welfare agencies, shifting the policing paradigm toward proactive prevention.
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday it is pursuing "preventive policing based on analysis of repeat 112 calls," which analyzes reports repeatedly received from the same targets or locations to block the possibility of crime at an early stage. Behind the policy lies field experience showing that repeat reports can ultimately lead to violent crime.
In January this year, in downtown Busan, a man in his 30s swung a baseball bat and threatened vehicles and pedestrians on a street busy with tourists and citizens in broad daylight on a weekday. The man, who flaunted his tattoos, had regularly threatened merchants and followed and intimidated foreign tourists. He was the subject of 13 separate 112 calls over the course of a year. Citing his repeated violence and dangerousness, police arrested him on charges including possession of a deadly weapon in a public place and special intimidation.
Another case was similar. A man in his 50s went from restaurant to bar demanding alcohol and causing disturbances, and was reported 21 times over a year. While managing him as a mere drunk, police discovered domestic violence against his mother in her 90s, and comprehensively assessing his habitual behavior and dangerousness, arrested him on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
Based on such cases, Busan police have redefined repeat reports as "early warning signs of danger in citizens' daily lives." Going forward, they will classify repeat reports into nine categories, including motiveless crime, mental health crises, livelihood-related crime, and non-police duties, and respond in a customized manner.
In particular, for categories with a high likelihood of leading to violent crime, such as possession of a deadly weapon in a public place or violence, police will apply a zero-tolerance principle from the early stages and actively investigate. For mental health problems or livelihood crises, they will focus on reducing the risk factors themselves by linking cases to local governments and welfare agencies.
To this end, police are also pursuing collaboration with the Busan Metropolitan Government and the 120 Barocall Center. The plan is to distribute non-police duties, such as everyday complaints and welfare counseling, to administrative agencies, so that police can concentrate their capabilities on analyzing signs of crime within repeat reports and on prevention activities.
Police expect that such prevention-focused policing will also help address the shortage of investigative personnel resulting from future reforms to the criminal justice system. The judgment is that reducing the occurrence of crime itself can create a virtuous cycle in which the investigative burden also decreases.
"If we proactively manage repeat 112 calls, we can block violent crime in advance and operate police forces more efficiently," Busan Metropolitan Police Commissioner Kim Sung-hee said. "We will build a tight safety net linking public safety administration with urban administration to realize preventive policing that citizens can feel."
