S. Korea's police chief meets with skepticism over gun use

S.Korea's police chief meets with skepticism over gun use

South Korea's police chief has come under fire recently not only from human rights organizations but also from his organization after he urged police officers to take sterner measures against gangs, including the active use of firearms.

"Police will fight a war against organized gangsters by the end of this year," Cho Hyun-oh, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, said in a regular press meeting earlier this week.

"I will allow all kinds of equipment and gear (to be used) in the process of suppressing gangsters," Cho said in an apparent reference to the use of guns.

Cho's demand came after police had faced increased criticism for their tepid handling of a violent fight between two rival gang factions in Incheon, west of Seoul, last week.

About 130 gangsters from the rival groups violently clashed outside a hospital in downtown Incheon, with one gang member severely injured from being stabbed.

Witnesses reported that some 70 police officers were present at the crime scene but did not intervene for two hours.

Why do the officers carry guns? The police should have boldly used their pistols at the scene," said Cho as he reprimanded Incheon police for their failure to respond strongly to the clash.

He then said he would not approach the war against gangs from the perspective of human rights as such approach would inflict huge damage on the public.

This was the third time this year that Cho ordered police officers to use firearms more actively.

Following an incident in May, in which an officer got injured while defending himself unarmed against a drunken man with a knife at a police station, Cho called on officers to use guns more aggressively.

He reiterated his support for more gun use in August by saying, "what's important is to help police officers use guns in the right way at the right moment. That's to protect citizens."

However, his firm stance on the active use of guns by police officers has brought about negative responses not only from human rights activists but also from officers on the frontlines.

"The rules and regulations in using firearms is so strict that when time calls for use of a firearm, it's not that easy to make the judgment," an unnamed senior officer was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying. "Who can draw a gun easily when it' s one's own responsibility when an accident happens?"

Human rights organizations have also warned that it is not always easy to discern the culprit in a situation and that the number of firearm misuse could only rise.

Editor: An

English.news.cn   2011-10-30 13:08:55 FeedbackPrintRSS
SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Xinhua)