Members of the police force have taken to the Internet to protest the modification of the presidential decree regarding criminal investigation procedures.

With the modified version effectively making internal investigations by police subject to review by the prosecutor’s office, officers across the country have bombarded the homepages of politicians with posts opposing it.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced a modified version of the decree regarding the enforcement of the revised Criminal Procedure Act.

Although the police agency still has rights to open and close internal investigations without direction from the prosecutors’ office, the modified version states that it must submit the evidence and reports to the prosecutors after the process is closed. The decree also states that all investigations, once they have advanced beyond internal police procedures, will be conducted according to written directives issued by the prosecutor in charge.

Message boards on the homepages of Public Administration and Security Committee members, including chairman Rep. Lee In-ki, have been filled with posts. Additionally, police officers have begun posting that they will request transfers to non-investigative units.

Members of the police are also said to be discussing holding a conference and submitting a petition to the National Assembly, much like they did when in June when the Criminal Procedure Act was first revised.

At the time, the police submitted a petition signed by 3,899 active and retired officers, non-governmental organizations and academics, which are considered to have played a significant role in upgrading the enforcement decree in the Criminal Procedure Act to a presidential decree.

Although the Prime Minister’s Office has defended the change saying that such measures are aimed at protecting citizens’ rights, the police have rebuffed such claims, saying that it does not fulfill the purpose behind revising the Criminal Procedure Act.

The modified version has been met with severe criticism from all levels of the police force.

On Wednesday National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Hyun-oh said that the changes made were for the worse, and that his organization will not be able to accept plans that “break the organization’s pride and prevents it from fulfilling its functions and duties.”

Although the Prime Minister’s Office said the public notice announcing its scheduled implementation would be made Thursday, some politicians have already expressed their support for the police.

“It is right to give full authority over internal investigative processes to the police. The modified version drawn up by the Prime Minister’s Office should be reexamined with regards to this part,” Grand National Party chairman Rep. Hong Joon-pyo was quoted as saying by the party’s spokesperson Kim Ki-hyun.

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