Police are pushing to set up a dedicated "Korean Desk" to handle cases involving Koreans occurring in Cambodia in the Sihanoukville area, where crime compounds are concentrated.
According to the "Public safety response plan for Cambodia" submitted by the Korean National Police Agency to Rep. Wi Seong-gon of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, on the 16th, police have drawn up a plan to increase the number of officers dispatched to the country from three to eight.
Currently, one resident officer and two liaison officers are dispatched to Cambodia. Police say five additional officers are needed to respond to the surge in kidnapping and confinement cases locally.
Police first said one additional resident officer is needed for consular work. They also said that, given the supportive nature of consular tasks, two additional police liaison officers are needed at the Embassy in Cambodia to handle cooperative work exclusively.
In addition, they said it is necessary to establish a Korean Desk in Sihanoukville and dispatch two officers to build a system dedicated to handling kidnapping and confinement cases involving Koreans.
Resident police officers are transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and work at local missions. Police liaison officers belong to the Korean National Police Agency and work at local missions and international organizations.
By contrast, the Korean Desk works within local police agencies and can conduct swift investigative cooperation. The Korean National Police Agency said, "The Korean Desk model is the most effective for responding to incidents in Cambodia," adding, "We are working to consult quickly with the Cambodian National Police so the Korean Desk can be set up as soon as possible."
The Korean National Police Agency has discussed the need to establish a Korean Desk with the Cambodian National Police since May. It then sent an official letter on the 11th of last month under the acting commissioner general's name to the Cambodian National Police.
A resident police officer dispatched to Cambodia received a report in Aug. last year in Phnom Penh that seven Koreans were being confined in three vehicles and being taken to an outlying area, and, working with local police, rescued all the victims. In the process, seven Chinese suspects were arrested.
On Aug. 9 this year, 14 of our nationals who had been confined in a Cambodia-based scam compound were rescued. Of them, 12 returned home on the 22nd of the same month, while two refused to return and remained in the country.
Police liaison officers sent to Cambodia handled tasks from January to August this year including support for the apprehension of 110 people, support for the repatriation of 70 people, 100 cases of collecting materials and verifying facts for international cooperation, and three cases involving stakeouts and tracking.
Rep. Wi Seong-gon said, "To respond to kidnapping and confinement crimes occurring overseas, we need to quickly establish Korean Desks in crime-prone areas such as Cambodia," adding, "We should revive the police foreign affairs division and reorganize professional personnel."