Military, police uniforms openly traded in Jakarta<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Equipped with about Rp 300,000 (about US$33.70), anybody can buy
\na head-to-toe police or military uniform, including cap, long-
\nsleeved shirt with all the trimmings, trousers, belt and shiny
\nboots. All are available in one well-known market in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Buyers can name the desired rank and whether they want to be
\nsoldiers or police officers. And those who have ambitions of
\nhaving subordinates can buy insignias indicating that they are
\ncommanders.<\/p>\n
Customers need not worry if they have no knowledge of the
\nproper insignias and badges for certain ranks and units because
\nthe shop assistants will kindly assist their customers.<\/p>\n
\"Put this 'Metro Jaya' badge along with the 'Polda' emblem on
\nthe right arm. And these 'Jakarta' and 'Sabhara' emblems go on
\nthe left sleeve,\" a shop assistant said, producing a sample of
\nthe correct emblem layout.<\/p>\n
Pointing at a gold band on a police cap, the shop assistant
\nadvised, \"An officer's cap has this gold band, that of a soldier
\nhas a silver band.\"<\/p>\n
Most of the shops selling police and military uniforms have a
\nwide collection of emblems and pins, and anyone can buy them for
\nany purpose because the shop assistants usually do not ask too
\nmany questions about the buyer.<\/p>\n
Officially, any person wanting to open a military or police
\nuniform shop must have a license, issued by the proper military
\nor police authority. And shop assistants are supposed to ask
\nbuyers to prove there are legitimate members of the military or
\npolice force by producing official ID cards.<\/p>\n
Besides the shops selling the uniforms to anybody without
\nasking for a legitimate military\/police ID card, there are also
\nshops that claim they only sell uniforms to noncivilians.<\/p>\n
However, once these cards are shown, these noncivilian buyers
\ncan buy anything in any desired number.<\/p>\n
\"As long as they can show a legitimate military\/police ID
\ncard, they can buy anything, as many as they want. The more they
\nbuy, the better for me,\" said Parto (not his real name), owner of
\na uniform shop in the market.<\/p>\n
Apparently there is no effective regulation on trading in
\nuniforms. Prevailing regulations, which require shops to be
\nlicensed and buyers to be able to produce military\/police ID
\ncards, do not impose any strong sanctions on violators.<\/p>\n
The authorities also do not carry out any serious surveillance
\non the trading.<\/p>\n
Hendra, who runs his uncle's uniform shop, said he sells
\nuniforms only to buyers who can produce authentic ID cards
\nbecause he is afraid of being raided by the authorities.<\/p>\n
However, uniform shops rarely face such a risk.<\/p>\n
Hendra said that in all the three years he had helped his
\nuncle run the shop, he had never been raided.<\/p>\n
Certainly, police and military personnel who visit the market
\nto buy uniforms pay no attention to whether or not the shops
\npossess a license. Some of them shop in stores that do not have a
\nlicense.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo, responding to
\npublic complaints of bogus policemen operating in Jakarta,
\nearlier conceded that there was no regulation governing the
\nbuying and selling of military and police uniforms and all the
\ntrimmings.<\/p>\n
As a consequence, the unrestrained trading is open to abuse.
\nRecently, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police recorded several cases
\nof fraudsters wearing police uniforms stopping motorists on the
\nstreet, then taking away their possessions.<\/p>\n
The uniform shop assistants clearly realize this negative
\npotential.<\/p>\n
\"Please don't use the uniform to pose as a bogus policeman,\"
\none shop assistant cautioned a buyer with no ID, with concern in
\nher eyes.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-police-uniforms-openly-traded-in-jakarta-1447893297",
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