UNDERCOVER POLICE CAR PATROL ROADS

[Anchor Lead]

Undercover police have been patrolling highways in Korea since 2016 to catch drivers who only follow traffic rules when there are police officers or surveillance cameras around. But nowadays undercover police are also dispatched to regular roads to prevent accidents and reckless driving involving motorcycles.

[Pkg]

A passenger car is waiting for traffic lights to change at an intersection. A motorcycle standing next to it ignores the red signal and crosses the intersection. All of a sudden, a light bar starts flashing on the passenger car and it begins chasing the bike.

[Soundbite] "0225, pull over to the right."

Hearing the siren, the rider stops. The passenger car was an undercover patrol car cracking down on traffic violators. Until recently undercover police cars have only operated on expressways. Traffic violations and reckless driving committed have been on the rise recently. That's why undercover police are now dispatched to regular roads as well. These patrol cars look like regular vehicles. When a violator is detected, the police logo appears. In Daejeon, eight undercover police officers work in teams of two around the clock. Crackdowns are mostly conducted in some 30 areas prone to traffic violations and accidents caused by motorcycles, as well as areas without unmanned surveillance equipment.

[Soundbite] Choo Young-ho(Daejeon Police Agency) : "We want to make drivers realize they can be caught any time, by operating undercover patrol cars around the clock."

During daytime, undercover police mostly crack down on reckless and retaliatory driving and traffic violations committed by motorcycles. At night, they clamp down on DUI and illegally modified cars. When drivers of delivery motorcycles are caught for traffic violations repeatedly, businesses hiring them will also face punishment for negligence.