COP helps reduce crime in Yogyakarta
COP helps reduce crime in Yogyakarta
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
A local senior security officer has praised a community-oriented
security project, called Community Oriented Policing (COP), for
its contribution in reducing the crime rate, at least in the
areas in which it has implemented, by up to 20 percent.
"Through the project, relations between the police and the
community have also improved so that both parties are able to
discuss solutions to security-related problems," Yogyakarta
Police chief Brig. Gen. Sudirman said on Friday.
The police chief said his office was considering extending the
project, jointly run by the Yogyakarta Police and the Indonesian
Islamic University's (UII) Center for Human Rights Studies -- to
other police subprecincts in the province.
Sr. Comr. Suharto of the Yogyakarta Police Headquarters, who
is facilitating the program with the center, said they would
propose that the program be included in next year's police
budget.
Sponsored by the Asia Foundation, the COP program is aimed
mainly at promoting interaction between the police and the
community in handling security-related problems, especially those
regarding security protection for the community in general and
vulnerable groups such as children, women and the disabled, in
particular.
The program is currently being tested in three police
subprecincts -- Depok Barat in Sleman regency and Mergangsan and
Umbulharjo, both in Yogyakarta municipality.
Each of the three areas had serious specific security
problems. Depok Barat, for example, used to be prone to vehicle
theft, while Umbulharjo was known for residents who took the law
into their own hands whenever they caught lawbreakers red-handed.
Mergangsan was known for daylight robbery.
The center's program manager, Eko Prasetyo, said the program
had proved a success and had improved the police's image.
"Such a more humane, people-oriented police service is proving
to be successful and has received a positive response from the
public," Eko said, adding that the project had gained recognition
from both the local community and the police headquarters in
Jakarta.
"I believe this is an applicable model for the rest of
Indonesia," he said.
Starting in November last year and ending in October this
year, the pilot project is conducted in such a way that the
public and the police are given more chances to interact and
discuss everything about security-related problems and decide
upon an agreed solution for every problem discussed.
"The main challenge for the National Police is to be able to
respond adequately and swiftly to the increasing needs and
expectations of the people for a secure environment. The project
is one of the efforts to make it a reality," Herbin Marulak
Siahaan of the Asia Foundation said of the program.