Police prevent second Incheon knife attack... Strengthening management of crowded areas

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is strengthening security activities, including deploying police forces to places where crowds gather ahead of Halloween.

This is a measure to prevent copycat crimes such as the knife attack in Guwol-dong, Incheon, and to strengthen safety management in crowded areas.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 14th that it will launch an all-out response by setting the period from today until the 1st of next month, when Halloween Day ends, as a period of 'special safety activities in crowded places.'

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Chief Go Beom-seok held an emergency video conference with police chiefs this morning and instructed them to mobilize as much available experience as possible to protect the daily lives of citizens as this is a time when security capabilities are further emphasized due to Halloween and fall gatherings.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency plans to strengthen visible patrols in crowded facilities such as large shopping malls, subway stations, and traditional markets by mobilizing available police forces such as local police, metropolitan preventive patrols, and mobile units.

Crime prevention activities will also be strengthened, such as closely observing and preemptively checking if a person is suspected of carrying a weapon or acting suspiciously in a public place.

In particular, ahead of Halloween Day on the 31st of this month, preventive measures will be established in crowded areas such as Myeong-dong and Itaewon, such as diagnosing and improving vulnerable factors through cooperation with local governments and local security.

In addition, visible criminal activities will be strengthened, such as wearing vests that identify detectives, especially in crowded places. This is a measure to detect signs of violent crime early and prevent crime from occurring in advance.

In addition, if an incident involving a weapon or serious damage occurs, available police personnel will be intensively deployed and a speedy arrest will be made through cooperation between all police stations and other offices.

We also plan to operate a dedicated real-time monitoring team for major online communities and social networking services (SNS) to strictly respond to copycat crimes and inciting acts, such as postings warning of knife crimes or threats to blow up major facilities.

We will also strengthen our response to relationship crimes such as stalking, domestic violence, and dating violence.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency plans to respond strictly to related crimes by receiving all cases of stalking crimes and investigating relationship crimes on the same day, and is planning to take preemptive measures such as applying for arrest warrants, detention, and attachment of electronic devices for high-risk offenders.

In addition, it was decided to thoroughly implement safety measures tailored to victims, such as private security and intelligent closed-circuit (CC) TV, and to reexamine the need for extension through additional monitoring before the expiration of protective measures.

Periodically check whether the smartwatch is worn and whether it is turned off.

During the murder of the mother-in-law and kidnapping of the wife that occurred in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 11th, the smartwatch given to the victim was discharged and did not work, but it was revealed that the police failed to recognize this, which is interpreted as a measure taken after a loophole in the device management system was identified.

In addition, from the middle of this month to the end of this month, we plan to inspect all cases under investigation, high-risk monitoring targets, and cases in progress for safety measures to examine the process of case handling and victim protection.

Commissioner Go said, “We will do our best to prevent violent crimes and respond to on-site responses by concentrating all of the capabilities of the Seoul Police so that ten million Seoul citizens can enjoy their daily lives with peace of mind.”