It has been confirmed that package embezzlement cases surged at a police station in Gyeonggi Province after it was revealed that the station suggested applying the charge of embezzlement of lost articles rather than theft for delivery thefts, as a measure to boost theft arrest rates.

According to the Crime Prevention and Response Division of the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station today, the number of package embezzlement cases of lost articles spiked around the quarterly training conducted for regional police (district units and police boxes) over three days from April 21 to 23.

Before the training, from January 1 to April 20 (110 days), there was 1 case of package embezzlement of lost articles and 44 cases of theft.

However, after the training, from April 24 to August 5 (104 days), package embezzlement cases increased to 20, while theft cases decreased to 13.

The 20 cases of embezzlement of lost articles included 2 cases reclassified as theft, 3 cases under investigation, 7 cases with unidentified suspects (unsolved), and 7 cases closed following internal reviews (6 cases of misreported complaints and 1 case of insufficient evidence), with embezzlement ultimately recognized in only 1 case.

The transformation of theft, a major crime, into the comparatively lighter charge of embezzlement of lost articles was reportedly significantly influenced by explanations on performance improvement provided at the time by a police officer identified as A, who was affiliated with the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station.

Officer A used delivery theft as an example, instructing that "if the possession status is unclear, the application of the charge of embezzlement of lost articles can be considered." Following the training, many police officers began reporting missing package complaints as embezzlement of lost articles rather than theft.

In cases of delivery theft, it is customary to view a package as falling under the possession of the orderer (homeowner) from the moment the delivery driver drops it off in front of the address.

Consequently, individuals who take delivered packages that have completed delivery are guilty of the crime of theft.

This is an entirely different case from the crime of embezzlement of lost articles, which applies when someone picks up items dropped on the street.

Regarding statutory penalties, theft is punishable by up to 6 years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won, whereas embezzlement of lost articles carries a lower punishment of up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to 3 million won, or a minor fine.

In this regard, criticisms have emerged questioning whether the police conducted such unreasonable training to improve their arrest performance records.

The performance metrics for regional police include on-site response scores for 11 major crimes, including murder, robbery, and theft.

On-site response scores are calculated as the ratio of arrests to the number of major crime reports.

Cases of embezzlement of lost articles are not reflected in performance scores.

Ultimately, suspicions were raised that the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station attempted to reduce the number of reported thefts and boost its arrest rate by processing theft cases as embezzlement of lost articles.

Additionally, as the revision of the Criminal Procedure Act has granted the police monopolistic investigative powers, voices have emerged calling for a thorough investigation into the truth behind this case, which has become engulfed in criticism for arbitrary legal application.

In response, the Inspection and Audit Office of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency is conducting a fact-finding investigation into the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station.

The scope of the investigation also includes suspicions that the Seongnam Sujeong Police Station instructed officers responding to relational crimes (stalking, domestic violence, dating violence, and child abuse) to process cases not as occurrence reports but as voluntary accompaniment, with instructions that officers "only need to obtain signatures on the voluntary accompaniment consent form without actually performing voluntary accompaniment."

A police official stated, "Once the results of the inspection investigation come out, we will establish comprehensive measures and initiate a complete review of performance metrics," adding, "We also plan to examine the overall situation at other police stations."

(Photo: Provided by Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)