범죄피해자 보호ㆍ지원을 위한 경찰활동의 활성화 방안

Study on Increasing Police Responsibilities on Victims of Crime Protection and Support

In victim support, the “first contact” agency is almost always the police. Proper, well-established initial response procedure plays a critical role in an effective victim protection. It is obvious that continuous victim support is essential at the prosecution stage and the court stage; however it is certain that the police, the very agency responsible for the initial response, should be the primary agency which provides care for the victims of crime, and help them recover from impact of crimes. Many countries take their own approach in criminal victim support systems. In the United States, federal/state Department of Justice offices are given supervisory positions. On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, (though the system is a bit more decentralized compared to the U.S. counterpart) the police provide the largest part in victim support. U.S. approach guarantees sustained, continuous support at all stages – investigation, prosecution, and incarceration – however also bears more chance of failure to provide effective initial response. On the other hand, U.K. approach provides better initial response, but as the case develops the police have to let the case go off their hands. Korean victim support systems share a lot of similarities with the U.K. systems. Currently the police operate various programs, such as victim rights information program, and victim support information program. The police are also hiring special agents for victim psychology, and setting up ‘one-stop support’ centers. However there is still room for more development; it is the time to better understand the importance of the police role in victim support, and try to combine the U.S. and U.K. systems to achieve higher level of both ‘sustained and continuous support’ and ‘quick and effective initial response’ at the same time. It is also important to provide extensive information to victims by centralizing/automating the information system so victims can be notified of any changes in offenders’ status (e.g. parole, release, or death in prison) instantly. As our society develops, the public expect and require the more capable, multi-role police. To meet this public expectation, the police should acknowledge its increased responsibilities to protect human rights, and to actively help the crime victims in need.