“Channel PNU” visited the Jangjeon Patrol Division in Busan GeumJeong Police Station in front of the Busan Campus of Pusan National University (PNU) around 9 pm on March 17th. At that time, Jangjeon Patrol Division was conducting a work shift for the night duty until 9 am the next day. Police officers were ready to be dispatched in case of incidents that may occur at any time. On Friday night, when incidents and accidents occur most frequently, “Channel PNU” was accompanied by veteran inspectors Lim Ju-Yong and Han Seung-Mok, with 30 years of police experience on night shifts to protect citizens' safety and local security.

Jangjeon Patrol Division is a police agency with jurisdiction over Jangjeon 1-dong, Jangjeon 2-dong, and Geumseong-dong. A total of 51 people are working in four groups and two shifts. The shifts patrol the jurisdiction and prepare to respond to crimes and reports at all times. In order to prevent crime, it set up “Ways for the Safe Return Home of Women,” and “Strengthened Crime Prevention Areas” around Jangjeon-dong and carried out patrols. Currently, the shifts work for 12 hours without a break and have four patrol cars.

■Restless Dispatch

With the sound “Ding-Dong,” indicating the main gate of the PNU Busan campus, the alarm went off on the cell phone in the patrol car. The report details immediately pop up on the screen, and a voice was heard, "Jang-2 (patrol 2 team), can you get on the move?" on the walkie-talkie. They were on standby after patrolling the studio apartments area leading to Jangjeon 2-dong. The caller said he was trapped in the NC department store because he did not leave the building at closing time. After arriving, inspector Lim checked the situation of the report from the caller, and inspector Han went around the building to look for the entrance of the building. Then, they tried to contact the security company, but the building's own security company was not found. Eventually, while they considered opening the door forcibly, the caller was able to get out of the building within an hour of closing with the help of a security guard patrolling the inside. Inspector Lim said, "Various types of reports are received in the area of Jangjeon-dong, and we should be ready to cope with each report flexibly."

Then, they patrolled the area of the deserted houses behind Geumjeong Elementary School, which had been neglected because construction of residential areas had been promoted in the past, but it fell through due to internal corruption and corruption in the construction union. When they parked the patrol car at the area's entrance and passed a narrow alley, the broken remnants and the unoccupied and deserted houses could be seen. At the front door of one of the abandoned houses was a “No entrance” notice that it was a special police patrol area. Inspector Lim explained, “It is an area in which we are fully committed to crime prevention as it is located near the elementary schools and residential areas. It is a place from which frequent reports are received, so we are patrolling periodically for the safety of residents.”

When it was past 11 pm, after patroling  the deserted houses area, the alarm of the report continuously began to ring. On the walkie-talkie, the reports and responses to the reports continued in real-time. They were “Jang-1 will move to the report of dating violence in Jangjeon 1-dong,” “Jang-3 will deploy assistance,” and “We have completed identifying the case after arriving at the scene. We will close the case as there was nothing significant.” Soon after taking the patrol car, the disappearance incident was reported. In response to a report that a friend went missing after drinking near PNU station on Metropolitan Subway Line No. 1 in Busan, they sped up the car and headed to the reported site. The other patrol team, waiting near the site, began to identify the incident early. Inspector Han said, "We can all confirm which patrol teams are moving and how they respond. We are conducting support dispatch in connection with other patrol divisions as well as the Jangjeon Patrol Division."

We went to the last patrol area with inspector Lim, who handed over the disappearance case. It was the “Avenue of Youth” that leads from exits 1 and 3 of PNU station to the main gate of the PNU Busan campus. Even while we headed there, alarms on the walkie-talkie did not stop. Various incidents such as dating violence, disappearance report, and loss report were received, and the police officers, who were dispatched, quickly headed to the scene. The pub street, visited around midnight, was filled with students and passersby who were so drunk that they could not control themselves, making it impossible for vehicles to pass. It was especially difficult for pedestrians to pass due to the crowds who left the pubs in time for the last buses or trains.

■Lots of Drunk People and Few Workers

Inspector Lim mentioned a decrease in local police personnel and treatment of heavily drunk people as the difficulties of working. It is because police forces are needed as crime types become more diverse and ferocious, but the personnel was not supplemented that much. Currently, police forces are insufficient compared to the demand of the police, and it is handled by collaborating with the neighboring patrol divisions. Conflicts with the heavily drunk people and handling reports related to them also make it hard for the police. Inspector Lim said, "Students sometimes use profanity or even violence when drunk. I understand they do that in a pleasant feeling of being drunk, but it is also true that it makes it tough for us to work.”

In addition to being dispatched after receiving reports and patroling, the Jangjeon Patrol Division was also working on various anti-crime measures that reflected residents' opinions through the “Crime Prevention Officer (CPO).” On March 9th, the Geumjeong Police Station established the FPO team, a cooperation policing infrastructure for foreigners staying in Korea, for the first time in the nation. The FPO team, consisting of foreigners and international students staying in Korea, was intended to increase the safety of residents. Yoon Seok-Won (intelligence officer at the foreign affairs division,  Geumjeong Police Station) visited the Jangjeon Patrol Division and said, “We conducted a joint crime prevention diagnosis around PNU and “Busan University of Foreign Studies” on March 14th. We will preemptively carry out preventive activities for crime prevention as well as crime prevention.”

Ok Yeong-No, the chief of the Jangjeon Patrol Division, said that all members of the Patrol Division continued their police careers with a sense of mission to do what society needs, and the appreciation of the citizens motivated them. Inspector Lim said, "I am truly energized when citizens express their gratitude to me even though I did what I had to do as a police officer. The reason why I can continue this work for 30 years is that it is an irreplaceable job. Chief Ok said, “We are pursuing a public safety service in the young generation’s view considering the characteristics of Jangjeon-dong, where PNU is located. I hope students become role models for others with the efforts of the police.”

During the conversation, inspector Lim's walkie-talkie rang. It was a request for backup in an incident on the pub streets. Inspectors Lim and Han gave us a short farewell and immediately left the Patrol Division. Only the warning lights of Jang-2 (patrol 2 team) shone at dawn.

Reporter Jo Seung-Wan

Translated by Kwon Eun-Ji