경찰관서에서의 청원경찰 활용 가능성에 관한 법적 고찰

Abstract

The conscripted policemen system in South Korea is scheduled to be abolished completely by September, 2023. The Korean National Police Agency(KNPA) initially had a plan to employ additional police personnel to compensate for the expected loss of manpower following the abolishment, but the public safety needs cannot be met through such measure alone, especially considering the fact that the conscripted police officers have performed numerous security-related duties at police facilities. Therefore, utilizing registered security guards has been suggested as an alternative, because they are authorized to carry out police duties in exigent circumstances as prescribed in the Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers. Before developing and implementing a plan to assign registered security guards to the police agencies, one thing to consider is whether police facilities are classified into a “placement site.” Moreover, whether designating one person (i.e. commissioner) as the petitioner for service as well as the main supervisor in charge of assigning and authorizing employment is allowed according to the enforced laws must be reviewed. It is also important to discuss a possible complication in regard to the chain of command within the police when the commissioner general of the KNPA is the petitioner of security service. As per the provisions of Registered Security Guard Act, in this particular case, the commissioner of the police agency becomes the supervisor for the commissioner general, the petitioner. In this study, the authors review and offer legislative recommendations to overcome the aforementioned issues.