Bad police, bad community

A bad police force reflects a bad community, and vice versa. This truism is relevant to the current situation in Indonesia, where the existence of a good police force and community still remains a dream.

A good police force implies a force capable of maintaining security for the public, of upholding the law and protecting and serving the public in a professional manner.

Since their separation from the Armed Forces (ABRI) in 1999, the Indonesian Police have been striving hard to define their new identity and culture. They have also promised to provide the public with better services and greater protection.

However, the police have found it difficult to turn their promise into reality, due mainly to mentality and habit. Despite serious attempts, it is not easy for the police to abandon the old militaristic culture that has been established over decades.

One notable attempt that the police force has made to replace their old militaristic culture has been to change the curriculum of their school for senior noncommissioned officers and at their academy. Human rights, social ethics and other subjects related to social issues have since been taught to students.

The result? Frankly, we cannot expect too much from the new curriculum because the instructors are mostly seniors who have inherited a militaristic culture and habits from their seniors. Thus, at least for the next decade, public hope for a more professional police officer corps, free of militaristic traits and imbued with a high awareness of human rights and ethics, will probably remain far from reality.

Even as it was trying to change, achievement and discredit in turn spiced the police force's record. No one can deny the police achievement in arresting the perpetrators of the Bali bombings and other bomb attacks in various parts of the country. The quick arrest of the man who allegedly shot prosecutor Ferry Silalahi in Central Sulawesi is another success story.

On the other hand, to cite just one example, the police have had to accept jeers and strong criticism from the public for their sluggishness in handling the BNI Bank scam involving Rp 1.7 trillion in state funds. Rampant street bribery conducted by unscrupulous traffic police officers still remains another blemish on the face of the organization.

A popular old saying goes that every police officer has one foot pointing toward the grave and another toward jail -- meaning that whenever police officers are slow in making decisions, they or somebody else could get killed, but quick decisions that are wrong could lead them to jail.

In any case, since their separation from ABRI, the police have become the main guardians of public security. The "grave or jail" option has become a reality for police officers sent to conflict areas such as Aceh, Maluku, Poso, Papua and other hot spots. Many have been killed and some have also been tried for excessive use of force and other unnecessary action.

And now another tough test is coming: Our police officers will have to exert greater vigilance in securing the country when the first presidential election takes place on Monday.

Heated political tension among supporters of the presidential aspirants could lead to chaos and the police must be able to anticipate such a situation. Providing on-duty officers with proper instructions on how to behave is imperative.

In such a situation, police officers must be agile enough to act swiftly or they will be trapped in a "grave or jail" situation.

Keeping their patience is also part of the professionalism of police officers. In such a context the quality of police officers is more relevant than the quantity fielded to face a mob.

To have a few qualified and highly dedicated professional officers on the spot is preferable to having many who might bungle the job. A streamlined, but solid organization is the hallmark of good management. This adage must become the motto of our police force, which must be able to compensate for the current imbalance between the small number of police officers available and the growing population.

What Indonesia really needs is skilled and tough, but compassionate police officers capable of setting a good example for the community. Better training and better pay must therefore be provided for our police officers, given that these are important factors in establishing a professional police officer corps.

In the meantime, with their 58th anniversary on July 1 just behind, it would be well for the police to evaluate what they have so far done toward realizing their promise of serving and protecting the public.