[Edaily Reporter WON DA YEON ] With investigative authority concentrated in the police following amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, there is a growing demand for greater reliability in police investigations. However, it has been revealed that requests to replace investigators or to review the investigations themselves are surging due to distrust in police investigations.

According to the “Status of Applications for Recusal of Investigators” obtained by Edaily from the National Police Agency on the 9th, the number of applications for recusal of investigators rose from 4,573 in 2021 to 5,307 last year.

In the first half of this year alone, 3,143 requests to recuse investigators have already been filed, reaching 59.2% of last year’s total. If this trend continues, the number is expected to far exceed 6,000, setting a new all-time high.

Introduced in 2018, the system for requesting the recusal of an investigator grants parties involved in a case—such as suspects under police investigation or victims who have filed a complaint or accusation—the right to request that the investigator be replaced. Such requests can be made when there are grounds to believe that the police conducted an unfair investigation or when there are circumstances that raise concerns about such unfairness.

The increase in the number of recusal requests is interpreted as a sign that trust in police investigations is declining. Looking at the reasons for recusal requests filed through June of this year, “dissatisfaction with the investigator’s attitude” was the most common, with 904 cases, followed by “inadequate investigation” (675 cases).

While the number of recusal requests is on the rise, the acceptance rate for these requests is declining. The acceptance rate, which stood at 69% in 2021, dropped to 40% last year and has fallen further to 38% as of June this year. A police official explained, “Replacing an investigator can also lead to a longer investigation period,” adding, “To address this, we are ensuring that the applicant and the investigator engage in sufficient dialogue before any replacement is made, so that the issues that prompted the request can be resolved.”

Along with requests to recuse investigators, the number of applications for investigation reviews is also on the rise. This is a system whereby individuals may request a review to have a case re-examined when they object to the procedures, policies, or results of a police investigation. The number of applications, which stood at 2,131 in 2021, rose to 6,223 last year, and 3,887 applications had been received as of June this year. This figure is also expected to break previous records.