Dibyo tipped for promotion in forces reshuffle

Dibyo tipped for promotion in forces reshuffle

JAKARTA (JP): National Police Chief Gen. Banurusman
Astrosemitro and the chiefs of staff of the Navy, Air Force and
Army will be replaced next week.

The current Army Chief of Staf is Gen. Hartono, while Admiral
Tanto Kuswanto is the Navy commander and the Air Force Commander
is Marshal Rilo Pambudi.

The successors are scheduled to be announced by the Armed
Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung next week, the chief
of the Armed Forces for general affairs, Lt. Gen. Soeyono, was
quoted by Antara as saying yesterday. He did not disclose the
names.

However, reliable sources told The Jakarta Post yesterday that
Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo, the current police chief of the Greater
Jakarta Area, may replace Gen. Banurusman, who retires when he
turns 55 in September.

The sources said that Dibyo's position will be taken by his
deputy, Brig. Gen. Hamami Nata.

According to a tentative schedule, Hamami will be installed on
March 19 and Dibyo three days later

When contacted by telephone yesterday, Dibyo said that he had
no comment on the news.

If the rumors on Dibyo's appointment are true, many observers
say he deserves the promotion, given his remarkable performances
to date.

Maj. Gen. (ret) Koesparmono Irsan, a former deputy to the
National Police Chief for operational affairs, said Dibyo would
live up to expectations.

"It's my hope and my feeling, that he will be the next number
one of the Indonesian police force," Koesparmono, told the Post
yesterday.

Born in Purwokerto, Central Java, Dibyo, 49, is a graduate of
the Indonesian Police Academy (1968), National Police College
(1975), Staff and Command School (1981) and the National Defense
Institute (1992).

He took an ASEAN course covering drugs in 1983 and a senior
course on crime investigation in 1986.

Dibyo spent his early police career in Surabaya, East Java.
Then he spent eight years in North Sumatra, between 1978 and
1986.

After heading the crime investigation unit in Medan for three
years, he was deputy chief of police of Tapanuli Tengah for over
one year. He headed the crime investigation directorate of the
North Sumatra provincial police for one year and commanded the
Deli Serdang police precinct for three years.

From Deli Serdang, he was assigned as adjutant to President
Soeharto for six years from 1986 to 1992. He was then appointed
deputy chief of Nusa Tenggara police.

After two years in Nusa Tenggara, Dibyo was installed as
Jakarta police deputy chief on Sept. 13 last year.

Only four months after being appointed as deputy chief for the
Jakarta police, the one-star general was then promoted to the
city police chief. He was promoted to major general at the same
time.

During his 13-month tenure at the helm of the Jakarta police
Dibyo has proven that he was not appointed only because he is a
former adjutant to the President.

Many see that the affable, softly-spoken Dibyo, who has a
great sense of humor but is firm when it comes to upholding
discipline, has started many initiatives to build a strong,
disciplined force of 15,000 officers in order to be able to
properly serve and protect the 15.5 million inhabitants of
Greater Jakarta.

During his leadership, for instance, a number of serious cases
have been resolved through scientific investigations; methods
which had previously been ignored by detectives.

The President, for instance, handed over a rare reward to the
Bekasi police, which is under the supervision of Dibyo, following
the success of the local police to solve almost immediately gang
rape of a mother and her two teenage daughters.

Dibyo has also set up a rapid reaction detective squad,
locally named the URC team, which is designed to be able to reach
any crime scene promptly to protect the area.

Many other regional police offices have apparently set up
similar teams.

To show their gratitude, some residents, including President
Soeharto, have donated vehicles and other support to help the
Jakarta police.

Dibyo, a father of three children, hates to see anyone break
rules, a dangerous sign for his reputedly undisciplined staff.

"Discipline should be regarded above everything," he once told
the Post. (bsr)