Analysts urge police to improve their image
Analysts urge police to improve their image
By Ahmad Junaidi
JAKARTA (JP): Many people think the police force could improve
its image if it is separated from the Armed Forces, as many
analysts have urged.
But the Jakartans interviewed by The Jakarta Post recently
said it would be a long and difficult task for the police to wipe
out its bad public image.
Some were even concerned that more police autonomy would make
the force uncontrollable.
The following are their experiences and views:
Tarjo, a gado-gado (traditional salad) seller on Jl.
Diponegoro, Central Jakarta, admitted that he had made life
easier on himself by bribing corrupt police officers when they
had caught him violating a law.
He said police arrested him and four friends last year for
their involvement in a brawl at a discotheque in the Menteng
area, Central Jakarta. He and his friends seriously injured
several people in the fight.
"I could have spent days in police detention if the police
officers refused my bribe."
He said the police released them after taking a Rp 500,000
(US$35.70) bribe.
"The police could have beat me and sent my case to court if I
hadn't given them money."
The police force already has a bad image and this will be
difficult to erase, he said.
"But sometimes I take advantage of the situation," he laughed.
He said many people also believed the police could not handle
serious problems, which they saw as a reason why soldiers were
deployed on the city's streets.
People feel more secure, especially now, if they see soldiers
ready to protect them from riots, he said.
He saw this as a reason why the police force should not be
separated from the Armed Forces.
"I'm afraid that bad cops would become even more unruly if
they became separated from the Armed Forces."
Gunawan (not his real name), whose two video compact disc
(VCD) outlets in Glodok, West Jakarta, were looted and burned in
the May riots, did not think it wise for the police to be
separated from the Armed Forces.
He feared such a move could make the police more powerful and
give them more opportunities to abuse their power.
He said he had been arrested 12 times for allegedly
distributing illegal VCDs, but that he had been released after
giving police officers money.
"It's all about money. The police take advantage of unclear
regulations."
He claimed there was no regulation on the distribution of
VCDs, which made him a "cash cow" for police officers to milk.
"I hope the government will issue a regulation soon so that
traders, the police and other parties could follow it."
He hoped the police would be more professional in upholding
the law if given autonomy.
"I wish the police would care more about the people and obey
the law, things not easy to do for them."
Siahaan, a public transportation minivan driver plying the
Kampung Melayu-Senen route, said he did not care whether the
police were part of the Armed Forces or not.
"I learned about the idea from television reports. The police
must improve themselves whether they are being separated or not."
He said that unlike the old days, the police now rarely
launched operations against public transportation drivers so they
could take bribes.
"This is probably one of the impacts of the reform era."
Nana, a housewife in East Jakarta, said it was necessary for
the police to improve their public image and that even children
learned at an early age to fear them.
She said that when their children cry, many housewives often
try to make them stop by saying: "A police officer will come
here. Be quiet."
"Maybe it's because police have guns and can arrest people. It
creates a scary image."
She said the police public relations campaign aimed at
children, Polisi Sahabat Anak (Police are Children's Friends),
had not changed the police's image in children's eyes.
She was indifferent about the idea to separate the police
force from the Armed Forces.
"But if the police are separated from the Armed Forces, I hope
they will make efforts to improve their image through real
action."
Nico, a private university student, said the police force
should be a separate entity from the Armed Forces.
"The police are civilians who are equipped with weapons."
He claimed that the Constitution stipulated that the police
should be a separate entity from the Armed Forces.
"So far, we have violated the Constitution."
He and his friends are often arrested by police for conducting
demonstrations without a permit, he said.
"The way the police interrogate us is unprofessional and
intimidating. They violate the Criminal Code Procedure often."
Separating the police from the Armed Forces could motivate
police officers to improve their professionalism, he said.
"It could also prevent military intervention in police
affairs. Many people see the military often intervene in police
affairs."