Community police
Community police
The police's separation from the Indonesian Military (TNI)
began when the People's Consultative Assembly issued Decree No.
7/2000, which came into effect in 2001.
In 2002, Law No. 2/2002 was issued to strengthen the
separation. According to articles four and five of the law, the
police have a role to play in maintaining security and public
order, upholding and enforcing the law, and guarding and
protecting the people by respecting human rights.
The decree and the law would seem to be clear enough. However
for the police, implementing them has not been so clear cut.
It was obvious that the articles in the law gave the police no
other option but to put their best foot forward and reform the
institution by giving up their military culture and habits.
And the police have tried to do just that. Among the first
things that was done was to change the curricula at police
schools and academies. Unfortunately, the militaristic drills and
culture that used to dominate police schools continue to have a
strong influence on the current crop of officers.
This has impeded the transformation process within the police.
The recent assault by the former Bogor Police chief on one of his
subordinates can be seen as an example of the militaristic
culture that continues to permeate the institution.
But in the spirit of change, it is worth noting that the new
curricula, with ample doses of human rights and other
sociocultural principles, is being applied at the State Police
School for senior commissioned officer in Lido, Sukabumi, West
Java, the Institute of Police Officers in Jakarta and the Police
Academy in Semarang.
However, these changes must be kept in perspective. One senior
police officer once commented that it was unrealistic to expect
an ideal police force within the next decade.
The new classes of police cadets, officers and recruits are
still being taught and trained by officers who came up through
the old, militaristic police force.
As part of efforts to transform themselves into the people's
police, the National Police have adopted the new National
Strategy on Community Policing, which was officially introduced
on Sept. 28 in Jakarta.
The launch of Community Policing follows up a cooperation
agreement between the National Police, the International
Organization for Migration and the government of the Netherlands.
The main objectives of the strategy are to promote Community
Policing and Human Rights as the soul of the police, as well as
to promote better relations between the police and the community
as equal partners in ensuring security and public order.
It is envisioned that under the strategy the police and the
community will work together as partners in identifying,
prioritizing and solving various problems, including drug use in
the community. This can be achieved through neighborhood watch
programs, citizen patrols and other means.
The police's attempt to encourage the public to work with it
in providing security and public order can be translated as an
appeal to revive the community security system, or siskamling,
which used to be common in the country.
There are times when residents resist police efforts to detain
a suspect living in the neighborhood, with reports of police
stations being attacked by mobs seeking the release of detainees.
This is a reflection of people's distrust of the police, which
developed over years of police abuses.
Making the top-down National Strategy on Community Policing a
success is a major challenge, and it is imperative that the
police turn their words into action by becoming a true police
force of the people.
Efforts to regain the trust of the people will obviously be
futile unless all police officers truly understand the
significance of the community in dealing with neighborhood crime.
Only in this way can we have a real community police force.