A video of a police officer pulling out a pistol and subduing a man wandering the streets with a weapon in a short time has become a hot topic. Due to the recent indiscriminate weapon violence that occurred at Sillim Station in Seoul and Seohyeon Station in Gyeonggi Province, it appears that legitimate police force, such as the distribution of ‘low-risk handguns’, is being actively encouraged. According to a video released by the National Police Agency on the official SNS (social network service) on the 6th, at around 6:30 pm on the 27th of last month, the police subdued a man holding a weapon with a pistol instead of a Taser at an intersection in Seowon-gu, Cheongju, North Chungcheong
Province .
Considering that it was rush hour when the floating population increased, the police quickly took out a pistol instead of a Taser. He then said, “Drop the knife! Throw away the knife! Get down! “Get down!” he shouted at the man. At the warning of a police officer holding a pistol, the man hesitated and lowered himself to the ground, and another police officer who arrived with him pushed the weapon the man was holding away with his foot and arrested the man.
The man arrested at the time was in a state of intoxication and was reported to have stated in a police investigation, “I bought a weapon to harm myself because I was scolded by my father.” The police booked this man on charges of being a serious criminal under the Punishment of Violence Act and handed him over to the prosecution.
In the video, the police’s quick use of physical force stood out. It took the police only about 20 seconds to arrive at the scene and apprehend the suspect, and the arrest was successfully made within 3 minutes of receiving the report.
As public anxiety grows as a series of recent incidents of stabbings against unspecified people occur, front-line police officers are being asked to actively respond to the situation. On the 4th of last month, the National Police Agency ordered the bold use of legitimate police force, such as firearms and Tasers, in the event of a violent crime such as a weapon rampage. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon also instructed the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on the 7th of last month to actively apply self-defense in the process of apprehending violent criminals. President Yoon Seok-yeol announced on the 29th of last month, “We will supply low-risk handguns to all police officers in the field and provide new weapon response equipment to the 101스포츠토토 riot squad.”
Low-risk pistols are about 25% lighter than existing pistols and have 30% less recoil when fired, making them easier to use and carry. It was developed to penetrate up to 6cm away from the thigh so that it does not reach the bone when fired. In addition to low-risk bullets, blank bullets and 9mm ordinary bullets (live ammunition) can also be used. It is also equipped with a ‘smart module’ that is inserted into the gun handle and automatically records the time and place of shooting, firing angle, quantity, and type of ammunition, making it an effective means of reducing controversy over police overreaction by accurately proving the circumstances at the time of gun use. It is expected that it will be.
The National Police Agency has decided to complete the supply of one gun per person by distributing 29,000 guns over three years, starting with 5,700 low-risk pistols next year. Currently, only about 22,000 .38-caliber pistols are provided to the approximately 50,000 local police officers working in police stations and police stations.