Interior ministry sets promotion rules for serious crime investigation bureau

The interior ministry said Friday it has established the enforcement rule for the appointment of investigators at the Serious Crime Investigation Bureau, setting out how promotion candidate lists are drawn up, how promotion review committees operate and how performance is graded.

The rule, promulgated as Ministry of the Interior and Safety Ordinance No. 650, takes effect the day it was issued. It implements the presidential decree on the appointment of bureau investigators, promulgated on Aug. 25.

Promotion candidate lists for investigators at grade 5 and below are compiled twice a year, with base dates of Jan. 31 and July 31. A candidate's total score is calculated out of 100 points, combining a performance evaluation worth at least 95 percent and a service record assessment worth no more than 5 percent.

The lists draw on performance evaluations covering at least the most recent three years for grade 5 investigators, at least two years for grades 6 and 7, and at least one year for grades 8 and 9. Promotion review committees decide by a majority of members present and meet behind closed doors, assessing whether a candidate has the ability to handle the duties of the grade they would move into, based on performance, service record and job skills.

Investigators at grades 4 and 5 must have spent at least seven years at their grade to be selected as "preferential civil servants," while those at grade 6 and below need at least four years. Appointments must be decided by five days before the end of each month and issued on the first day of the following month.

Bureau investigators at grade 3 and above are graded on a five-tier scale running from very good to very poor, with the top tier capped at the upper 20 percent of those assessed and the bottom two tiers required to cover at least the lowest 10 percent. For grade 4 investigators, the top tier is limited to the upper 20 percent and the bottom tier to the lowest 10 percent.

Evaluators must be trained on the assessment items, standards and methods before evaluations begin, and assessors and reviewers must inform investigators of their results. An investigator who disagrees with a result may file an objection with the reviewer.