Police stage half-hearted war agains gambling<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The following is the second in a series of reports on gambling in
\nthe capital, which despite being illegal is a common activity
\nhere.<\/p>\n
Although National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar announced a war
\non gambling on April 5 last year, there has been no apparent
\nchange in the amount of money being bet.<\/p>\n
While it is generally acknowledged that gambling is widespread
\nin Jakarta, the records show the police have raided few gambling
\ndens and have arrested few people on gambling charges.<\/p>\n
So far this year, the Jakarta Police have raided one big
\ngambling den in Taman Palem, West Jakarta. The raid took place in
\nFebruary and none of the main people behind the den were
\narrested.<\/p>\n
\"I do not think the police are serious .... I once gave them a
\nlist of the location of gambling dens, which they might already
\nhave had. But nothing happened,\" Saman Subekti, who, together
\nwith his friends, monitors gambling in the capital, told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"I suspect that several police officers are cooperating with
\nthe gambling den bosses. Everybody knows the police get something
\nfrom them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Rumors have circulated among gamblers that several high-
\nranking police officers receive billions of rupiah from gambling
\nden owners every month for protection.<\/p>\n
On several occasions, city police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani
\ndenied reports that gambling dens were operating in the capital,
\nclaiming the police had investigated and found no evidence to
\nprove the claims.<\/p>\n
\"We check reports about gambling that we receive from the
\npublic but have found nothing. Give us accurate information and
\nwe will bust the gamblers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A senior officer at Jakarta Police Headquarters, who asked not
\nto be identified, said eradicating gambling would be impossible
\nwithout the support of top officers.<\/p>\n
\"It is a game for the generals. We cannot do anything unless
\nthey stop protecting the gambling dens. That is why we are kind
\nof reluctant to touch any gambling cases because we know certain
\nofficers must be protecting them,\" the source told the Post.<\/p>\n
The National Police have established a special squad led by a
\none-star general to deal with gambling at the national level, in
\ncoordination with local police departments. However, territorial
\ndisputes have hampered the efforts of this national squad to dig
\ndeeper into gambling at the regional level.<\/p>\n
Rudy Satrio, a legal expert from the University of Indonesia,
\nhighlighted the half-hearted efforts of the authorities to crack
\ndown on gambling.<\/p>\n
\"We already have adequate laws on gambling. What we lack is
\nthe law enforcement,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Under Article 303 of the Criminal Code and Article 2 of Law
\nNo. 7\/1974 on revisions to the sanctions in the Criminal Code,
\nconvicted gambling operators and gamblers could face a maximum of
\n10 years in prison and a Rp 25,000 fine.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-stage-half-hearted-war-agains-gambling-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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