The top police agency said Monday it will launch investigative units nationwide that will tackle sex crimes against children, declaring "war" on molesters who have been growing in number and boldness.
The National Police Agency (NPA) said the units will be an expansion of existing mobile investigation teams, which have about 80 members. The members will be doubled to around 160 and include specialized investigators, the agency said. The decision was made at a meeting of provincial police chiefs Tuesday.
Police commanders will take charge to directly orchestrate probes into child sex crimes and give top priority to the cases, the NPA said.
A notorious rapist was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a teenaged girl in the southern city of Busan earlier this year.
Last month, a 44-year-old repeat sex offender was arrested on charges of kidnapping an eight-year-old girl in western Seoul from her elementary
classroom and raping her.
Recurring sex crimes against children have prompted the government to introduce chemical castration and to increase prison sentences for
perpetrators.
The reinforcement of the special probe units "is a measure aimed at conducting a thorough investigation when an incident takes place," an NPA official said. "For prevention, it's more important for us to build a social safety net with a solid surveillance system involving schools, local residents and police."