As we mentioned earlier in the newscast...
Korea marks 71 years of national police service on this Friday.
Although the Korean people have enjoyed safety under the country's strong law enforcement
authorities for many decades, times are changing and the police force are becoming smarter
using state-of-the-art technology.
You might have seen them on TV shows, but watch them in real action: Korea's Crime Scene
Investigation team.
Our News Feature tonight with Kim Jung-soo.
The Korean National Police Agency celebrated its 71st birthday in style with a lively ceremony
in Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square.
Several of the agency's key divisions, including cybersecurity, traffic control and neighborhood
patrol, proudly showcased their latest gadgetry.
But it was the Korea Crime Scene Investigation team, a unit that usually operates out of
the spotlight, that attracted the biggest fanfare.
"Korean society is becoming more and more complex, thanks to the developments in science
and technology, but the country's criminal landscape is also expanding.
That means the police must also equip themselves with the latest state-of-the-art technology."
One of the KCSI team's most prized pieces of equipment is its portable forensic lab,
which allows investigators to do a preliminary analysis of the DNA samples they collect on
site... before sending the results back to the main lab for further analysis.
The team's senior investigator says such advanced technology helps the KCSI team work more efficiently,
no matter where they're called to duty.
"The police started implementing basic scientific research in 1948, but the KCSI team in its
modern-day form was established only in 2004.
Now, there are a-thousand KCSI investigators on active duty.
We lend our services in all kinds of situations, from petty crimes to national disasters."
The more complex cases, ones involving multiple homicides or explosions at petrochemical plants,
are processed at the KCSI's headquarters, which is equipped with a state-of-the art
crime lab and a facility for analyzing surveillance camera footage.
"When we are called to a crime scene, we first make a thorough attempt to collect anything
that can tell us about the criminal, which includes fingerprints, strands of hair or
drops of saliva.
We then run it through our comprehensive database of personal information."
Although the team had first relied on standard investigative methods and technology from
other countries, it's starting to invent its own equipment, including a special infrared
flashlight that can be used to identify counterfeit currency and marked gambling cards.
Another invention is a specially compressed-power that traces fingerprints without damaging
the lungs of the law-enforcement agent inhaling it.
The KCSI team is even spearheading a project with the Korea International Cooperation Agency
to export Korea's cutting edge investigative technologies to developing countries.
"We have countries from all over the world that come to our lab to study and purchase
our equipment.
Last year, we exported our technology to Papua New Guinea, Guatemala and Honduras."
While it seems apparent that KCSI has become an irreplaceable component of the national
police force, criminologists say that the division can play an even bigger role in crime-fighting
as well as crime-prevention.
"Up to this point, the KCSI team has not been as proactive in policing.
I think that with the help of big data analytics, the Korean police force can become even more
effective in tackling the problems of today.
For example, KCSI and the police can deploy the necessary forces to specific regions that
have a strong record of specific crimes in anticipation of future incidents."
As of 2016, there are over 110-thousand police officers serving the country, which means
one officer is in charge of protecting 452 civillians.
Meanwhile, instances of complex fraud and financial crimes have risen by near 70 percent
in the past five years.
Acknowledging that Korean society faces a new era of challenges, the police agency has
stated it will add 20-thousand more officers by 2019.
Kim Jung-soo, Arirang News.