Extortion of motorists rife in Lampung<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung<\/p>\n
Some 21 traffic police officers are facing possible demotion or
\ndismissal for extorting money from motorists traveling through
\nthe province during the week-long Idul Fitri holiday.<\/p>\n
The police officers were detained after they were caught red-
\nhanded collecting money from drivers and motorists. The policemen
\nhave been questioned since Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"The harshest punishment would be dismissal,\" Lampung Police
\ninternal affairs chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Maman Rachman said on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
He said the sanctions would be decided by the disciplinary
\ncouncils in the officers' precincts.<\/p>\n
The 21 policemen come from different precincts -- five from
\nWest Lampung, six from Central Lampung, three from Bandarlampung,
\nfive from North Lampung and two from South Lampung.<\/p>\n
According to Maman, he has ordered close supervision of
\ntraffic police officers in response to increasing complaints of
\nthe rampant extortion of motorists and people traveling to their
\nhometowns for the Idul Fitri holiday.<\/p>\n
\"We urge the people to come to us and report policemen who
\nextort money from motorists,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier in July, the Lampung Police dismissed 12 policemen for
\nindisciplinary acts, including seven for drug abuse.<\/p>\n
In August, six other policemen were dismissed for similar
\nviolations.<\/p>\n
Extortion is common practice among traffic police along the
\nTrans-Sumatra Highway in the province.<\/p>\n
Truck and bus drivers have often complained of extortion. The
\ndrivers said that they paid at least Rp 600,000 to police and
\nmilitary officers, traffic policemen and weigh bridge personnel
\nwhen they passed through the province.<\/p>\n
Effendi Silaban, a 30-year-old truck driver, said there were
\n11 spots where drivers had to pay illegal fees between Bakauheni
\nseaport in Lampung and the South Sumatra border.<\/p>\n
\"The drivers are asked to pay between Rp 20,000 and Rp 100,000
\ndepending on how clever they are when negotiating with the
\ncorrupt security and government officers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Silaban, during the holiday he paid Rp 200,000 to
\na traffic officer from the local transportation office, Rp
\n300,000 to policemen and Rp 100,000 to other authorities.<\/p>\n
\"The police stopped us between 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., so we called
\nit the predawn attack,\" Silaban told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He added that policemen in Banten and other parts of Java were
\nmore polite than those in Sumatra.<\/p>",
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