Police Accused of Inflating Case Numbers by Splitting One Theft into 51 Charges

Gumi Police Station in Gyeongbuk Province is facing allegations of inflating performance metrics after it reportedly divided a single theft case into 51 separate charges before submitting them to prosecutors.

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It is clearly wrong

The case involves a supermarket employee in their 40s who is accused of stealing goods worth approximately 700,000 won (about $500 USD) over 51 separate occasions in March. Gumi police subsequently processed these as 51 distinct theft incidents, a move that has drawn criticism and raised questions about the integrity of their reporting.

Prosecutors at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, Gimcheon Branch, ultimately canceled the case submission. An official from the branch commented that dividing similar cases into dozens of separate submissions is highly unusual. This action suggests that the prosecutors found the police's method of categorizing the thefts to be irregular and potentially misleading.

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the person in charge did not fully understand the reporting guidelines

While Gumi police denied intentionally inflating their statistics, a police official acknowledged the error. "It is clearly wrong," the official stated, attributing the mistake to the 담당자 (person in charge) not being fully familiar with the reporting guidelines. The police department is reportedly considering internal training measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The incident highlights a potential lapse in procedural adherence and raises concerns about how police performance is measured and reported.

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It is rare to see cases submitted in dozens of installments when compared to similar situations.