'Discipline above all': New deputy police chief
'Discipline above all': New deputy police chief
By K. Basrie
JAKARTA (JP): "No, no profile about me, please. Please, no profile," pleaded 48-year-old Brigadier General Dibyo Widodo. Reporters were pestering him for an interview about his promotion to Greater Jakarta police chief today.
Photographers find it hard to take favorable pictures of the general and he has even asked his wife not to give out any information.
Why?
"Because I'm still a deputy to the chief," the straight faced police officer stated.
City crime reporters will have to get used to his style after being humored by Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto.
Dibyo, who replaces Hindarto today, is different.
He hates to see anyone break rules, a dangerous sign for his undisciplined staff.
When he saw a car parked illegally at the city police headquarters, Dibyo called over a military police sergeant and demanded: "What do you do to a car parked like this?"
The sergeant snapped to some semblance of attention and replied: "Deflate the tires, General."
"Good, then do it," Dibyo ordered.
The sergeant walked to the car and carried out the order.
Dibyo later prohibited a late senior officer to join a monthly parade.
Worries
The worry is, can he reduce the city's crime rate with his current attitude and with personnel who many times add to it?
His firmness, infrequent smiles and few words make many critics say Dibyo is socially awkward. Police officers must be able to interact with the public, they say.
These critics have not seen his friendly side. He jokingly covered his face with his hands when The Jakarta Post tried to take a picture of him and his wife. This made senior police officers laugh.
"Don't look at the negative side. He has several pluses which I don't have. You can prove it later," Hindarto assured.
According to Hindarto, who was once Dibyo's instructor, a firm commander is needed in a big city like Jakarta.
"Senior police officers have all been trained in interpersonal skills. They can have good relations with anybody," he asserted.
"I believe that he will do better than I did," he added.
Dibyo vowed that he will work hard to build discipline.
"Discipline is above everything," he insisted.
"Japan and Taiwan, for example, have succeeded to build their country, its economy and stability due to their discipline," he said.
Biography
Dibyo was born in Purwokerto, Central Java, on May 26, 1946.
He graduated from the Indonesian Police Academy in 1968, National Police College in 1975, Staff and Command School in 1981 and the National Defense Institute in 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 police head of Tapanuli Tengah for over one year. He led 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 until 1992. He was then appointed as deputy chief of Nusa Tenggara police.
After two years in Nusa Tenggara, Dibyo was installed as Jakarta deputy chief on Sept. 13 last year.
He is married to Dewi Poernomo Aryanti and has two sons, Dibyo Aryanto, 21, and Dibyo Ari Wibowo, 19, and a daughter named Nauli Tri Widianti, 13.
Ceremony
The former adjutant to the President be installed today by National Police Gen. Banurusman Astrosemitro to command the 15,000 police officers who protect the 15.5 million inhabitants of Greater Jakarta.
"Four months as deputy police chief is quite enough to learn about the city and the trends," said Hindarto, who has been posted to National Police Headquarters. He will retire in March.
Dibyo will be promoted to major general.
Col. Hamami Nata filled his old job two days ago. He was also an adjutant to the President.