Police will minimize the use of diesel vehicles to prepare for the prolonged shortage of urea water solution across the country, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Monday.

The NPA said it has instructed all police organizations nationwide to deprioritize the use of diesel vehicles to cope with the worsening urea water crisis.

South Korea has been grappling with a shortage of urea water solution, a key material used in diesel vehicles to reduce emissions, after China tightened exports of the material last month.

The NPA said its latest instruction came to prevent diesel police vehicles from being grounded due to the urea water shortage.

All police units were ordered to ensure that emergency diesel vehicles, including those used by the 112 emergency response service, traffic police and criminal investigators, are used for their intended purposes, though the use of gasoline and eco-friendly cars should be prioritized.

Riot police squads were asked to utilize buses that do not use urea water and to actively use a cooling and heating system in a sleep mode during standby. The demand for police buses has recently increased due to a spike in outdoor rallies and demonstrations after the "living with COVID-19" scheme took effect this month.

Police officers were also instructed to refrain from unnecessary engine idling and avoid using official vehicles for meals and private purposes.

Meanwhile, the NPA said it will intensively crack down on hoarding of urea water solution, together with the transport and environment ministries and other government agencies.

Urea water manufacturers, importers and distributors, and urea importers, if caught storing more than 10 percent of their average monthly sales volume of last year, will face a fine of less than 100 million won ($84,400) or imprisonment of less than three years under the Price Stabilization Act, the NPA said. (Yonhap)