Police officers’ duty to protect drunk people up for debate after court fine

(123rf)

Calls are growing from South Korean police for clear guidance on how to deal with drunk people after two policemen were fined for the death of an intoxicated man they escorted home.

The Seoul Northern District Court recently fined two Seoul police officers 5 million won ($3,755) and 4 million won for occupational negligence, according to reports on Tuesday citing legal professionals.

The two officers working at the Mia District Unit of the Seoul Gangbuk Police Station reportedly took an intoxicated man in his 60s back to his home in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, in November 2022. The officers left the man on the stairs of the building at around 1:30 a.m. without confirming whether he made it inside and back into his home.

At the time of the incident, a cold weather alert was issued across the country, with temperatures dropping to minus 8 degrees Celsius. Exposure to the cold led to the man’s death.

Following the verdict, police officers have demanded specific regulations and guidelines for handling intoxicated people, lambasting the local court’s decision.

“It is commonplace (for police officers to leave a scene) after the (intoxicated) person tells us that they want to go home on their own and to not worry about it,” an officer, who said he had dealt with many drunk people, wrote on an internal police bulletin board.

“(In the recent case), the police officers brought the intoxicated person to his residence but weren’t able to know the exact apartment number, so they left (the man) on the stairs. This is a ‘common practice’ in handling individuals, but the Korean National Police Agency asks for unlimited responsibility from low-ranking officers,” the post further read.

Another officer said that police shouldn’t be held responsible for handling intoxicated people, saying the ruling sets a “bad precedent.”

Currently, the Police Duties Execution Act stipulates that a police officer may provide “necessary warning” to individuals who are intoxicated and who may harm themselves or cause damage to the property of others.

However, the act does not define clear procedural measures on how officers should offer assistance to those under the influence of alcohol.

In light of the incident, National Police chief Yoon Hee-keun reportedly ordered the police agency to discuss the shortcomings of the measures during a weekly meeting on Monday.