City police plan to decentralize services
City police plan to decentralize services
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Starting on Tuesday, residents of South, East and Central
Jakarta can extend their driver's licenses at police stations in
their respective precincts following plans to decentralize
services to the city's nine police precincts, a senior police
officer said on Friday.
"Considering complaints from the public, we'll start
decentralizing our services in driver's license renewals next
week to police precincts," Sr. Comr. Liliek Santosa, head of city
police traffic division, told The Jakarta Post.
Liliek said the plan was aimed at making services more
accessible to the public.
"We have received complaints from the public that the
centralized Daan Mogot office (West Jakarta) is too remote and
crowded and gives leeway to calo (middlemen)," said Liliek.
Middlemen are common at the Daan Mogot office, with many
overtly offering their services to applicants arriving at the
office.
The business done by middlemen, which is apparently supported
by unscrupulous police personnel, is quite robust. An applicant
for a new driver's license could pay between Rp 150,000 and Rp
350,000, which is much higher than the official Rp 52,500 price.
"Many people still rely on their services as they prefer to
pay rather than to waste time going to the remote Daan Mogot
office. It's uncomfortable as they have to queue in long lines,"
Liliek admitted.
He said that this was a major consideration of National Police
Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar in ordering city police to decentralize
the services so that people would find it easier to obtain
driver's licenses.
Jakarta has nine police precincts: South Jakarta, East
Jakarta, Central Jakarta, West Jakarta, North Jakarta (Tanjung
Priok), Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi and Bogor.
However, only South, East and Central Jakarta are ready to
provide the services, Liliek said.
He said residents living outside the three mayoralties are
still required to go to the Daan Mogot office to renew their
licenses.
"We are studying the possibility of offering similar services
in other police precincts," said Liliek, adding that his office
was eyeing a plot of land housing an old cinema in Koja, North
Jakarta, that could be converted into a new office serving North
Jakarta residents.
Liliek said that 1,500 people applied for new driver's
licenses or renewals every day.
He added that the money collected from the issuances was
submitted to the National Police Headquarters.
Meanwhile, East Jakarta Police chief of the traffic unit,
Comr. I Wayan Pinatih, said the new office would be ready to
serve 700 applicants a day.
"But initially we will only accept applications for driver's
license renewals. We don't have the space for driving tests for
new applicants," said Wayan.
The building, which will be used as the new office in Kebon
Nanas, East Jakarta, was being painted when the Post visited last
Friday.
"Computers will be installed today along with electricity and
air conditioners," said Wayan.
Wayan said some employees at the Daan Mogot office would be
transferred to the new office.
"We are only providing rooms while all necessary equipment
like computers and air conditioners, as well as human resources,
will be provided by the National Police Headquarters," Wayan
concluded.