As incidents of on-duty police officers embezzling and stealing confiscated items have been continuously uncovered, the police decided to conduct a full-scale investigation and announced the results, along with plans to establish new directives and preparations for preventative measures.
The National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters disclosed the results of a comprehensive investigation into the management of confiscated goods at police stations across the country, conducted over eight days from the 18th to the 25th of last month.
According to the police, the management status of confiscated cash appeared to be satisfactory. However, there were numerous instances where items were entered into the Criminal Justice Information System (KICS) with delays. It was found that items seized during investigations were stored separately in offices and only later inputted into the system. Of the 83,850 cases reviewed, 30,300 cases (38.5%) were registered late.
There were also five cases where items were stored separately and lost during office relocation, or where the quantity of items recorded did not match the actual number of seized items, indicating poor management. Errors occurred when counting cash by hand due to the absence of a cash counting machine, resulting in discrepancies between the actual seized items and the recorded amounts.
Specific cases of embezzlement and theft that prompted the comprehensive investigation were also revealed. According to the investigation report titled ‘Comprehensive Evidence Management Review and Improvement Measures,’ provided by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Seong-hui’s office from the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, an employee at a Seoul police station was caught secretly pocketing seized cash and storing envelopes filled with cut-up A4 paper as if they contained the actual confiscated items.
In another instance at a different Seoul police station, a confiscated items manager embezzled seized cash and continued stealing it even after being transferred to another department, as they still knew the location of the cash vault key. At a police station in Jeonnam, an officer used a known password to enter the comprehensive evidence storage room, stole seized cash from a gambling case, and replaced it with counterfeit bills.
The police agency decided to establish a principle that when the comprehensive evidence manager receives important items like seized cash, they must verify and record the quantity of the confiscated goods. They also plan to use ‘transparent vinyl’ or ‘plastic boxes’ to store confiscated items to allow for easy visual identification.
Additionally, it will be mandatory to install double-security safes in evidence storage rooms and change access control door locks from password-based to fingerprint recognition systems. They also plan to improve the system for automatic registration procedures of confiscated items. Besides monthly and quarterly inspections, cross-checks between stations will be conducted semi-annually. They are also considering storing seized cash in designated accounts if it is unnecessary as evidence. The police announced plans to formalize these measures into directives for confiscated items management.
A police agency official stated, “We apologize for causing concern and unease among citizens,” admitting, “There were issues that we were unaware of before the full investigation. To be honest, the police agency’s attention was insufficient.” They added, “We will improve the system as quickly as possible to prevent recurrence of these problems.”