A frontline officer has suggested holding a televised debate with public prosecutors as police step up protests against the presidential decree on the enforcement of the Criminal Procedure Act.

The officers argue that the decree gives them little right to investigate independently from prosecutors.

According to the police agency, Yang Young-jin, chief of Jinhae Police Station’s investigation section, voiced the suggestion through the social network news service Wikitree and on the police intranet on Sunday.

Saying that the presidential decree adopted by the Prime Minister’s Office only reflected the views of the public prosecutors, Yang wrote that a public debate would allow the public to find out the facts and form its own opinion.

“(The Prime Minister’s Office) did not once hold a TV debate or public hearing or listen to views from academia while drawing up regulations regarding (criminal) investigations, which closely concern human rights,” Yang wrote.

“(By holding a televised debate) frontline officers will be able to tell the public the difficulties they face, and the prosecutors will also be able to describe the issues related to human rights that arise during police investigations.”

On Nov. 23, the Prime Minister’s Office completed drawing up the presidential decree on the enforcement of the Criminal Procedure Act revised in June. The new version states that all police investigations will be conducted according to written directives issued by public prosecutors.

In addition, while the police maintain the right to conduct investigations internally without orders from public prosecutors, the police will be required to submit documents and evidence to the prosecutors after the related procedures are closed.

The changes prompted criticism from all levels of the police force and sparked a series of online and offline protests.

Following the announcement, police officers bombarded lawmakers’ websites, and more than 15,000 officers in investigative posts have declared that they will resign from their posts.

By Choi He-suk
(cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)