Bekasi benefits from friendly police after Japanese help<\/p>\n
Wahyuana and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Bekasi<\/p>\n
Police officers everywhere should bring with them a sense of
\nsecurity -- especially when the uniformed personnel better
\nunderstand their own slogan, \"to protect and to serve.\"<\/p>\n
In Bekasi, residents say police officers are no longer a
\nsinister lot compared to the general impression of officers in
\nthis country. \"A friendly patrol police officer visits us four
\ntimes a day,\" said Ngadianto, who owns an Internet cafe at the
\nKalimalang Shopping Center.<\/p>\n
Locals now enjoy the benefits of a community policing system
\n-- which adopts the koban concept from Japan -- i.e. better
\nservice from friendly policemen who provide a greater sense of
\nsecurity.<\/p>\n
Ngadianto said that the officers also gave him their cellphone
\nnumbers and their office phone number to ensure that they could
\nbe easily contacted in case of emergencies.<\/p>\n
\"There has been a significant change in the relations between
\nthe community and the police. We no longer feel afraid of being
\nin contact with them,\" said Ibnu Humaidah, a resident of Pondok
\nUngu housing estate.<\/p>\n
\"Residents also feel much more secure as community police have
\nmanaged to take precautionary measures to prevent brawls, which
\nhave been common here in the past,\" said his neighbor, Paidi.<\/p>\n
Members of the Bekasi police precinct also say they benefit
\nfrom cooperation with Japanese police, given the lighter workload
\nthanks to reduced numbers of reports of crimes such as theft,
\nrobbery and extortion.<\/p>\n
\"The (community policing) program requires us to approach
\npeople living with social problems, such as beggars, street
\nmusicians, pickpockets, and advise them to look for better jobs.
\nAnd, we make it, eventually,\" claimed Second Insp. Achyar at a
\npolice post in front of the Giant Supermarket.<\/p>\n
Achyar said that personnel at the community police post were
\nassigned to assist with minor community issues, by providing
\nadvice, mediating quarrels, giving street directions and
\npreventing offenses -- leaving the investigation of offenses to
\nregular officers at the subprecinct police posts.<\/p>\n
At the police post in the Pondok Ungu housing complex in North
\nBekasi, Second Brig. Eri Mulyanto said that local police have
\nmanaged to settle conflicts before they turned into violent
\nbrawls. \"Every week, we have to mediate disputes in the
\ncommunity,\" Eri said.<\/p>\n
Recently in March, Eri recalled that a police officer also
\nmanaged to stop a brawl and calm down conflicting groups; the
\nNative Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and the Native Betawi
\nCommunity Solidarity Forum (FSMB).<\/p>\n
\"Both parties have agreed to stop the conflict and allow the
\ncommunity police to help solve the dispute,\" Eri said.<\/p>\n
Head of the project assistance team from the Japan Police,
\nSupt. Manoyoji, said that the community policing system
\nemphasizes the creativity of each officer in giving immediate
\nservice to residents.<\/p>\n
The community policing program is part of technical assistance
\nprovided by Japan Police, under the supervision of the Japan
\nInternational Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the National Police.
\nThe Bekasi police precinct has been run as a pilot project since
\nlast year.<\/p>\n
Manoyoji said the technical assistance would also include
\ntraining programs for Indonesian police.<\/p>\n
\"We also plan to launch another assistance program in Bali to
\nhelp establish a tourist police department there,\" Manoyoji
\nadded.<\/p>\n
So far, only two community police posts have been built, one
\nin front of the Giant supermarket and another in Pondok Ungu.<\/p>\n
Bekasi police plan to build 14 other community police posts
\nacross the municipality and regency by the end of this year with
\nthe help of Japan. The police will provide the land for the
\nposts, while the Japanese government will provide the funds. Each
\npost, which costs about Rp 750 million, is expected to serve
\nbetween 1,000 and 1,500 families.<\/p>",
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