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[대구=뉴시스] Reporter Lee Sang-je = Daegu police are cracking down on drunk driving, but drinking scandals continue to persist within the city. It is pointed out that the lack of discipline has gone too far, with a series of misconducts such as grabbing the steering wheel in a drunken state or shaking one’s fist.
According to the Daegu Police Agency on the 16th, Inspector A from the Central Division’s Criminal Division was arrested as an active criminal on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (refusing to take a breathalyzer test).
Inspector A is suspected of refusing a breathalyzer test at around 1 am on this day at an apartment complex near Jungbang-dong, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
He refused a breathalyzer test, claiming, “I only drove in the parking lot of the apartment complex, and my passenger drove the car to the apartment.”
Inspector A was arrested by the police who responded to a report of suspected drunk driving. It was reported that the blood alcohol level of the passenger at the time was at a level that would result in license revocation.
The police are conducting an investigation into Inspector A and plan to determine the level of disciplinary action at a later date.
It’s not just about drinking. His personnel actions were taken due to suspicions of various misconduct, including sexual misconduct and abuse of power, which raised the eyebrows of local citizens.
On the 11th, a report was received that Inspector B, who works at a local police station, committed sexual misconduct against a female subordinate, and was transferred to another department in accordance with the policy of separating sexual misconduct victims and perpetrators.
Inspector C, a member of the Central Police Station, was transferred after suspicions of abuse of power were raised for inviting an employee of the same team to a meal after work on several occasions.
On March 11, while drinking at a restaurant in Seobu, Inspector D, a member of the traffic investigation unit at the Seobu Police Station, committed drunken assault by grabbing the owner of the restaurant by the collar and pushing him.
On the 7th of the same month, Inspector E of the Criminal Division of Suseong Police Station had a triple collision while parking in an alley in Hwanggeum-dong, Suseong-gu with a blood alcohol content level that resulted in his license being revoked.
Prior to this, on the 6th, while driving a car while drunk, Inspector F of the Nambu Police Station’s Traffic Division grazed the rear bumper of the car ahead of him on the overpass in Hwanggeum-dong, Suseong-gu, and ran away. At the time, Inspector F’s blood alcohol level was at a level that would have resulted in his license being revoked.
Three times a month, various scandals, including drinking, are breaking out within the Daegu police organization. This goes beyond a lack of discipline and is at the level of a ‘disaster.’
An official from a Daegu civic group said, “After adjusting the investigative powers of the prosecutors and police, the authority of the police has increased. As we become an autonomous police system, we need to show progress such as resident-friendly security, but if we continue to cause social controversy, we will inevitably lose trust in the police.”
He then argued, “As the police’s authority grows and they play a pivotal role in establishing social order, there is a need to take even more stringent measures.”
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