Undercover agents assigned to catch crooked cops<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city police chief has ordered the heads of
\nrelated directorates to deploy plainclothes officers to arrest
\npolicemen found violating standard procedures when ticketing
\npeople breaking the traffic law.<\/p>\n
\"Disobedient police personnel deserve harsh punishment for
\ntheir delinquency,\" Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto
\ntold reporters on Saturday. \"There will be no excuse for them!\"<\/p>\n
He also instructed the head of the Municipal Traffic
\nDirectorate Col. Soeroso to see to it that his personnel always
\nexplain the violations the motorists being ticketed are charged
\nwith.<\/p>\n
He said the police are prohibited from taking any documents
\nfrom drivers they believe have violated a regulation, without
\ngiving them a traffic ticket.<\/p>\n
\"It's absolutely against the law for the police to hold any
\ndocuments from motorists without giving them tickets,\" Hindarto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The two-star general said that suspected violators have the
\nright -- as stipulated under the law -- to contest any
\naccusation leveled at them by the police.<\/p>\n
Court<\/p>\n
\"Everybody can argue with an officer,\" he said. \"If the
\nofficer wants to stick to his guns, let him do it. The violator
\nwill have the opportunity to explain his position thoroughly in
\ncourt.\"<\/p>\n
The court has the right to set the accused violator free if he
\nis found not guilty, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The court is also allowed to set the amount of fine lower or
\nhigher than initially set by the arresting officer,\" Hindarto
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, Hindarto was accompanied by officers and
\nthe heads of directorates of the city police command, including
\nDeputy Police Chief Brig. Gen. Ismet Abdullah Soelarso, Crime
\nInvestigation Directorate Chief Col. Nurfauzi, Intelligence and
\nSecurity Affairs Directorate Chief Col. Agus Samad and the Chief
\nof the Command and Control Center for Operations Col. Muhantojo.<\/p>\n
The meeting with reporters over the weekend was apparently
\ndesigned to explain the stance of the city police in the
\nenforcement of the higher fines for traffic violators which
\nsparked massive sit-in strikes by hundreds of bus drivers last
\nweek.<\/p>\n
The protesters vowed to obey the new fine scale but alleged
\nthat the police had often unfairly ticketed violators, especially
\ncity bus and minibus drivers.<\/p>\n
\"The police gave us a ticket even though the door was opened
\nby our passengers,\" complained one Metro Mini driver.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the complaint, Hindarto said: \"Such an
\nallegation is not nonsense. My wife and I have separately
\nexperienced such situations.\"<\/p>\n
A police officer, who apparently did not recognize Hindarto,
\nstopped him and accused him of violating a traffic sign.<\/p>\n
\"The officer refused to accept my explanation and forced me to
\ngive him my driver's license,\" he said. \"But as soon as he
\nlearned what my job was from the document, he gave it back to me
\nand refused to argue further.\"<\/p>\n
He also said that one day his wife was asked to get out of her
\ncar and to stand outside under the hot noonday sun to listen to a
\npolice officer's explanation on a perceived problem, Hindarto
\nadded.<\/p>\n
\"We need all information, including from the press people,
\nabout our personnel's behavior so that we can create an honest
\nand authoritative police force,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Hindarto said he hoped that drivers,
\nespecially those of the 30-seat Metro Mini minibuses, would
\nfurther improve their attitude on the streets.<\/p>\n
He urge the drivers not to hand over the buses to other people
\nwho are not qualified to run public transportation vehicles.<\/p>\n
\"Many accidents and traffic violations in the city are made by
\npeople who are not the authorized drivers of the buses,\" he said.
\nHe warned the management of PT Metro Mini to pay greater
\nattention to that problem.<\/p>\n
Police data show that about 40 percent of traffic violations
\nby city bus drivers in the city are committed by Metro Mini
\ndrivers. (bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/undercover-agents-assigned-to-catch-crooked-cops-1447893297",
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