Experts warns of police crime wave<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The number of crimes involving soldiers and police officers in
\nthe capital will rise unless the authorities start to come down
\nhard on personnel who break the law, an expert says.<\/p>\n
Police Watch chairman Rashid Lubis said on Wednesday police
\nofficers and soldiers thought they could commit crimes and not be
\npunished.<\/p>\n
\"They have nothing to fear because their units and their
\nsuperiors protect them. Personnel who commit crimes will repeat
\nthe act, and worse their friends will follow them once they learn
\nthey can get away with criminal behavior,\" Rashid told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Rashid was discussing the numerous crimes committed by
\nmilitary and police personnel over the past few months, with the
\nlatest incident being a home robbery committed by two soldiers in
\nPulogadung, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The two allegedly assaulted the owners of the house in the
\ncourse of the robbery. Officers from the East Jakarta Police
\narrested the pair near the crime scene but later handed over the
\nsoldiers to TNI Headquarters.<\/p>\n
Rashid said the worse punishment a soldier or police officer
\ncould now expect was a transfer to a new post.<\/p>\n
\"Such a light punishment is not a deterrent, so we will see
\nthe number of crimes committed by soldier of cops continue to
\nrise,\" Rashid said.<\/p>\n
According to data from Police Watch, a non-governmental
\norganization that monitors the police and law enforcement in the
\ncountry, only 1 percent of 300 crimes committed by police
\nofficers nationwide in 2004 reached the courtroom. The record for
\nTNI personnel could be even worse.<\/p>\n
\"I think the record for the TNI is poorer because they always
\ncover up the legal process for guilty soldiers,\" Rashid said.<\/p>\n
Numerous soldiers and police officers have been arrested in
\nJakarta over the past month. Their alleged crimes include
\nrobbery, kidnapping, gun trading and drug dealing.<\/p>\n
Three police officers, including a commissioner, were arrested
\nfor allegedly extorting Rp 64 million from a Japanese
\nbusinessman.<\/p>\n
The three officers, two from National Police Headquarters
\nidentified as Comr. JS and Second Insp. M, and one from city
\npolice headquarters identified as Second Brig. B, are being
\ndetained at the South Jakarta Police Headquarters. The status of
\ntheir case remains unclear.<\/p>\n
Earlier, seven soldiers were accused of kidnapping a
\nbusinessman in Cilandak, South Jakarta. Police said they were
\nstill questioning the seven.<\/p>\n
A legal expert at the University of Indonesia, Rudy Satrio,
\nsaid Indonesia had a law stipulating that crimes involving
\nsoldiers should be investigated by the police and tried in a
\ncivil court, not a military court.<\/p>\n
\"So the police and civilian prosecutors should handle any
\ncrimes involving soldiers. However, the reality is that the
\npolice are still reluctant, even afraid, to interfere with the
\nTNI,\" Rudy told the Post.<\/p>\n
Both Rashid and Rudy urged the authorities to get tough with
\nany police officer or soldier who committed a crime, to deter
\nother officers and soldiers from following suit.<\/p>",
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