409 Members on Patrol, Yet No Office for 'Seo-gu Volunteer Crime Prevention Patrol'... Calls for Expanded Support

Lee Giseong, Seo-gu Council Member: "The Only One Among Gwangju's Autonomous Districts"
Securing Recognition for Members and an Operating Budget for the Special Patrol Team

More than 400 volunteer crime-prevention patrol members are involved in community safety activities in Seo-gu, part of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City. However, it was pointed out that Seo-gu is the only one of Gwangju’s five autonomous districts without even an office for its patrol federation.

At the third plenary session of the 344th extraordinary meeting on October 23, Seo-gu Council member Lee Giseong, who represents Yang-dong, Yang 3-dong, Nongseong 1-dong, Nongseong 2-dong, Hwajeong 1-dong, and Hwajeong 2-dong, highlighted the poor working conditions of the volunteer crime-prevention patrol and called for practical support measures.

Lee Giseong, a member of the Gwangju Seo-gu Council.

Currently, the Seo-gu Volunteer Crime Prevention Patrol Federation has 409 members across 18 neighborhood units. They carry out various public-interest activities, including night patrols of alleyways and areas vulnerable to crime.

Lee said the federation has no independent office space, making it difficult to coordinate patrols or store equipment.

Lee called for a concrete plan to secure an office for the federation and expanded recognition for long-serving members and outstanding patrol members to ensure stable operations. Lee also called for a separate operating budget so that the special patrol team—the only one of its kind in the country—can continue its work.

“Preventive activities are just as important as responding after a crime occurs,” Lee said. “We need to create conditions that allow those who volunteer to keep their communities safe to carry out their work with pride.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.