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National Police Agency. / Photo by Park Sung-il, reporter

Police will deploy patrol vehicles operated by private security companies in areas vulnerable to crime to ensure the safety of students traveling to and from school during nighttime and late-night hours. The move is intended to supplement limitations in police patrols, which tend to focus on areas with a high volume of 112 emergency calls, and to reduce security gaps around school routes.

The National Police Agency said on the 9th that it will sign a “public-private partnership agreement for creating safe school routes” with major domestic security firms, including S1, SK Shieldus, and KT Telecop, to ensure safe commuting environments for children and adolescents.

The agreement involves three major security companies as well as 36 mid-sized regional security firms. A total of 1,935 patrol vehicles will be deployed. The National Police Agency described this as the first nationwide example of utilizing private security resources in a community policing framework.

Ahead of the agreement, police surveyed school routes nationwide and selected 1,154 crime-vulnerable routes where nighttime foot traffic is low and security infrastructure such as CCTV and street lighting is insufficient.

Security company vehicles will be stationed at these locations during dismissal hours. The vehicles will remain on standby with emergency lights on, serving as a visible crime deterrent. In the event of criminal activity, they will detain suspects in flagrante delicto when possible and immediately request police dispatch via 112.

In areas where deployment of vehicles is difficult, gaps will be addressed through foot patrols by voluntary crime prevention units and CCTV-based monitoring by local government control centers. High-risk areas will also be linked to crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) projects to improve lighting and infrastructure.

Police plan to operate a dual patrol system: deploying regional police, metropolitan preventive patrol units, and riot police in high-crime and high-report areas, while relying on private security vehicles, volunteer patrol groups, and CCTV monitoring in low-foot-traffic areas.

The National Police Agency conducted a pilot program from the 22nd of last month for two days, deploying SK Shieldus patrol vehicles in five areas, including Bongsan Elementary and Middle Schools in Gwangju and Ilsin Girls’ Middle and High Schools in Cheongju. During the pilot, students and parents reportedly said they felt safer seeing vehicles with flashing lights during late-night commutes following recent violent incidents.

Lee Seung-hyup, head of the Crime Prevention and Response Bureau at the National Police Agency, said the initiative complements limited police manpower by integrating private security resources into public safety operations, adding that authorities will work to ensure children and teenagers can move safely within their communities even during late hours.

                                                                                                           Seol So-young