Messages commemorating the victim of a stalking crime are seen outside Sindang Station on Sept. 23, 2022. The victim was murdered by a male co-worker in the public restroom inside the subway station last year. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Police carried out a total of 7,091 protection measures for victims of stalking last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed Monday.
This equals to an average of 19.4 protection measures per day, according to the report submitted to Rep. Jeon Bong-min of the People Power Party.
The number of protection measures carried out for stalking victims has been on the rise. A total of 1,428 protection measures were carried out in 2021, while the figure reached 3,754 in the first half of this year alone, the report showed.
Police have been compiling relevant statistics since October 2021, following the enactment of the anti-stalking law, which seeks heavier punishment against perpetrators of stalking crimes.
When expanded to all types of crimes, the total protection measures tripled over the past five years from 9,442 in 2018 to 29,372 in 2022.
The number of officers dealing with victim protection measures, however, ran short compared to growing demand for such services, the report also showed.
A total of 328 officers were responsible for such measures nationwide as of last year, with each officer dealing with 89.5 cases on average.
Jeon called for the police to improve relevant systems and increase the number of personnel overseeing victim protection, saying that the current status quo is insufficient to cover growing demand for such services.
(Yonhap)
