Police will recruit a former military officer to effectively carry out their operations in the event of North Korean provocations, officials at the National Police Agency said Tuesday.

“The agency revised its regulations to expand its anti-terrorism center into a bigger crisis management center which will handle disaster situations. With the revision, we have also laid a ground on which to recruit a former military officer,” said one NPA official, declining to be named.

Under the revision that took effect on Monday, the police can recruit a former military officer with expertise in emergency operations on a contract basis.

It is the first time for the police to recruit a former military officer for the mid-level police position since the 1980s when the military-backed government ruled the country.

Police expect the former military officer to play a key role in establishing cooperation between the police and military when emergency situations occur due to North Korean provocations.

His or her expertise in military operations will also help enhance police operations to deal with infiltrations by armed North Korean spies or small-scale localized provocations by the communist state, officials said.

“We believe that with him or her, we may be able to learn the operational know-how, which will help improve our ability to establish our own operations to deal with emergencies,” said a NPA official.

The revision to include a former military officer in the police came as military tensions between the two Koreas run high following the North’s two attacks on the South last year that killed 50 South Koreans including two civilians.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)