우리나라 광역지방자치단체 중 최초로 2006년 7월 제주자치경찰단에 특별사법경찰이 지명되어 업무를 시작한 이후 2012년 6월말 현재까지 총 10,743건의 단속실적을 올려 비교적 높은 능률성을 보여주고 있다. 제주자치경찰단 특별사법경찰이 팀제로 운영되다가 2012년 1월 9일 기구개편에 따라 정식 특별사법경찰과로 개편되었고 직원도 27명에 무기계약직 4명을 포함해 총 31명에 이른다. 제주자치경찰단의 경우 특별사법경찰(이하 특사경 혼용)의 주요 단속업무는 환경분야, 산림분야, 관광분야, 식품․위생비상품감귤단속분야, 자동차관련사건(손배법/자관법) 분야에 집중하고 있다. 위와 같이 제주자치경찰단에 특별사법경찰제도가 만들어진지도 6년째가 되었으며 그동안 많은 발전과 업무상 중요성이 부각되고 있으나 이에 관한 학술연구가 매우 미진했다. 이에 착안해 필자는 그 실태를 분석하고 다음과 같은 정책을 제언하고자 한다. 첫째, 인사상의 문제로서 현재 자치총경(4급)으로 보하고 있는 제주자치경찰단장의 직급을 그 업무의 중요성과 인력에 비례해 자치경무관(3급)으로 상향 조정함이 바람직하다. 둘째, 제주자치경찰단 특별사법경찰(특사경) 인력 31명에 대한 업무가 매우 중요하기 때문에 그 교육훈련을 강화하는 동시에 예산을 확보해 현재 매우 미약한 재교육참여 기회도 대폭 늘려야 한다. 셋째, 특사경을 위한 최신 과학수사장비를 구축하고 피의자에 대한 인권침해 시비를 없애기 위해 녹화시설을 갖춘 조사실과 필요시에는 유치장도 구축할 필요성도 검토할 필요가 있다. 넷째, 수사활동비도 어느 정도 현실화하여 특사경들의 사기를 올려주고 보다 적극적으로 업무에 집중할 수 있는 풍토를 구축할 필요가 있다. 사비를 쓰게 하면서 업무의 효율성을 기대하는 것은 다소 무리다. 다섯째, 제주자치경찰단 특별사법경찰에게도 혼자가 아닌 주민과 함께 각종 범죄에 공동으로 대처하는 개념인 이른바 지역사회경찰제 도입 – 신고제의 활성화 구축- 을 위해 노력해야 한다. 여섯째, 대부분의 예산은 인건비성인데 예를들어 충분한 장비구축 및 시설투자 등 조직발전을 위한 예산도 확보해야 한다. 일곱째, 특별사법경찰 업무는 상당히 높은 전문성을 요하는 업무인 만큼 퇴직국가경찰 중 특사경 관련 수사업무에 능통한 일부직원을 모집해 업무의 효율성을 높일 필요도 있으며 중·장기적으로 도청 및 시청의 특사경들의 업무를 제주자치경찰단 특별사법경찰과로 이관시켜 전문화를 꾀하는 노력도 연구할 필요가 있다.
Since special judiciary police was appointed to Jeju Municipal Police Group in July 2006 for the first time in our metropolitan governments and began their business, they have shown comparatively high efficiency as they have marked 10,743 cases of enforcement records in total up to the end of June 2012. Special judiciary police of Jeju Municipal Police Group had been operated under the team system before it was reorganized officially to the Special Judiciary Police Division according to the restructuring on January 9, 2012 with 31 employees including 27 purely municipal policemen and 4 permanent contract employees. Major enforcement businesses for special judiciary police of Jeju Municipal Police Group are focused on the environment, forest, tourism, food, sanitation, mandarin orange unavailable for products, and vehicle related cases (Property Insurance Indemnifications Act / Automobile Control Act). As mentioned before, it has been six years since the special judiciary police system was incorporated in Jeju Municipal Police Group. Many developments have been made and their importance on the business has been highlighted since then. However, the academic studies have been very lacking about it. Considering these points, the author suggests the following policies after analyzing the actual situations. First, it is desirable to adjust the job grade for the leader of Jeju Municipal Police Group, which has currently been given Grade 4, up to Deputy Assistant Commissioner (Grade 3) in proportional to the importance of businesses and manpower with regard to problems on the personnel affairs. Second, it is necessary to increase opportunities largely for participating in re-education which has been very weak as of now by securing budgets as well as to reinforce education and training because the businesses for 31 special judiciary policemen (SJP) of Jeju Municipal Police Group are very important. Third, it is necessary to review the need of constructing a police cell and an investigation room with recording facilities, if necessary, to avoid any controversy on human right violations against suspects, as well as to build up scientific investigation equipment to the latest for SJP. Fourth, it is necessary to improve morale of SJP by realizing investigation activity expenses to some extent and building up the atmosphere in which they can concentrate on their business in a more active way. It is more or less difficult to expect the job efficiency as they might have to spend their private expenses. Fifth, special judiciary police of Jeju Municipal Police Group should also make efforts to introduce the so-called local community police system – constructing the activation of reporting systems – as a concept that they take actions not alone but jointly against various crimes together with residents. Sixth, most of the budgets fall under labor cost. For example, however, it is necessary to secure budgets for the organizational advancement including the sufficient construction of equipment, investments to facilities, etc. Seventh, it is necessary to increase the business efficiency by recruiting some of employees skillful in investigation businesses relating to SJP from the retired national policemen because the businesses of special judiciary police require considerably high expertise. It is also necessary to study efforts for specialization by transferring the businesses of SJP in the provincial office and city office to the Special Judiciary Police Division of Jeju Municipal Police Group.
