Police tighten case-management rules ahead of new criminal procedure law

Police have tightened their case-management guidelines as concerns mount over investigative capacity ahead of the new Code of Criminal Procedure taking effect next month. The force plans to raise the bar for what counts as case neglect or delay — the threshold that triggers personnel penalties — in the second-half reshuffle, pressuring investigators to clear their caseloads more actively.

Investigators who fall short of the new standards must remain in their current unit for up to two weeks after a transfer has been approved, until their outstanding cases are resolved. The record will follow them as a permanent mark. If an investigator is found to have maliciously neglected or delayed cases, the force will strip that person of investigator status and open an internal audit.

Police are building investigative capacity in anticipation of a surge in everyday criminal cases and roughly 140,000 unresolved cases expected to transfer from prosecutors after October. Following the addition of about 1,907 investigators from last year through the first half of this year, the force plans to add more than 800 investigators in the second half by drawing down riot-unit personnel, bringing the total increase to around 2,000. The new guidelines will complement that headcount expansion by adding personnel penalties for investigators with low case-clearance rates.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency recently issued a directive requiring investigators to take personal responsibility for their own cases before transferring out. The core of the directive is a tightening of the neglect-and-delay thresholds that determine personnel penalties. The new standards are set to apply from the second-half reshuffle scheduled for this month. The Korean National Police Agency's National Investigation Headquarters issued the directive to all provincial and metropolitan agencies, which then set their own detailed criteria.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has strengthened its standards for transfer deferrals and what constitutes malicious neglect or delay. Stricter criteria will apply when an investigator holds more than 20 cases at the time of a personnel move, or when long-pending or stalled cases are involved. Investigators who fail to meet the standards face penalties including transfer deferral, revocation of investigator status, and an internal investigative audit. Investigator status is a qualification obtained through examination after joining the force.

Among investigators holding 20 or more cases, those with at least four cases pending for more than six months — down from the previous threshold of five — or at least two cases with no progress for three months or more — down from three — will have their transfers deferred. They must remain in their current unit for up to two weeks to resolve those cases, and may also face an internal investigative audit or revocation of investigator status.

A stricter standard applies to cases deemed malicious neglect or delay. When an investigator holds more than 30 cases, meeting just one of two conditions — eight or more long-pending cases exceeding six months (previously 10) or four or more cases with no progress for three months or more (previously five) — is enough to trigger a transfer deferral, an internal investigative audit, and revocation of investigator status.

One investigator at a local police station said that even a relatively straightforward criminal case such as a simple assault takes about a week to close once scheduling interviews and gathering materials are factored in, adding that the standards would feel harsh if they remained in place after investigators also take on cases transferred from prosecutors.

Police will manage the "personal responsibility for own cases before transfer" policy across three stages: before a personnel order is issued, at the time of the order, and after it takes effect.

Before a personnel order is issued, the force will track the caseloads of investigators slated for transfer at each provincial or metropolitan agency. Unit supervisors and outgoing investigators must sort their pending cases into those that can be closed before the order takes effect and those that must be handed over.

When an investigator exceeds the neglect-and-delay thresholds at the time a personnel order is issued, the response depends on the destination unit. Investigators moving to another investigative unit may have their transfer deferred or be referred for an internal audit. Those moving to a non-investigative unit may face revocation of investigator status and an internal audit.

Supervisors can also be held accountable. If a supervisor is found to have failed in oversight of the investigator in question, that supervisor may be referred for an internal audit or have the finding noted in their personnel file. They may additionally be barred from selection for specialized investigative units at the provincial or metropolitan level, such as major-crimes divisions.

Investigators subject to a transfer deferral will have that record forwarded to the receiving agency even if they move to a different region, meaning the mark follows them wherever they go.

Once the broader personnel reshuffle is complete, deferred investigators must stay in their original unit for one week to continue working through their remaining cases. The period can be extended by one additional week if necessary.

After that, a self-inspection team at the relevant provincial or metropolitan agency will review and monitor the transferred cases as well as any long-pending or neglected ones. The force also plans to identify and share best practices in case management, not only impose penalties.

A section chief in an investigative unit said applying the standards uniformly presents difficulties, noting that some cases pending more than six months are genuinely complicated and may require extensive investigation. Tightening the rules further, the official said, could produce undesirable outcomes.

The official added that cases involving medical assessments can sometimes require waiting six months to a year, and suggested that rather than applying a blanket standard, the reasons behind each case's delay should be examined individually.

A police agency official said the adjustment was made ahead of the new criminal procedure law because some investigators had been piling up cases and burdening colleagues by using transfers as an excuse to leave work unfinished, adding that the new standards would not significantly increase the burden on frontline investigators.