Don't panic! City police have their finger on the button
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Observers expressed fear on Tuesday that a new panic-button system would encourage the city police to offer special treatment to people who pay for their services at the expense of the public at large.
Police Watch chairman Rashid Lubis stressed that the police have the duty to provide equal protection to all citizens regardless of their economic status as the Constitution guarantees that all citizens have the right to be protected by the state.
"Surely this panic-button system opens up the possibility that specific groups will receive more attention than others. How can the police guarantee that they will provide the same services to all citizens if they get paid by some but not by others?" Rashid told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Yusuf Rizal of the People's Information Center (Lira), welcomed the move, however, but warned city police against sacrificing the interests of the public at large.
"We know that the police have limited funds and this is one way of resolving the problem. Applying technology like this should be welcomed and private sector involvement is needed. The question, is can they continue to provide the same services to people who pay and people who don't?" he told the Post.
The panic button system is a 24-hour alarm system that notifies the mainframe computer at police headquarters upon being pressed by a person wishing to get police help. The mainframe, which is connected to the computers in police precincts and sub- precincts, then automatically assigns the nearest police patrol car to come to the person's assistance.
It consists of two buttons, red and green. The red button will tell police that a crime is occurring at the subscriber's premises, while the green button sends a message that a subscriber requires immediate police help.
City police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said last week that he had appointed PT Widya Prakoso Abadi to integrate the panic- button system with the police patrol system.
PT Widya Prakoso Abadi would provide the hardware and software, while the police would deliver the security services.
Individuals and corporations can directly subscribe to the service with PT Widya Prakoso Abadi. It costs Rp 2.6 million (US$258) to buy and install the equipment needed in one's home, office or car, plus a Rp 150,000 fixed monthly fee, and an additional service charge the subscriber summons the police.
So far, six subprecincts -- Kebayoran Lama subprecinct in South Jakarta, Kebon Jeruk, Tanjung Duren and Taman Sari subprecinct, all in West Jakarta, Kelapa Gading subprecinct in East Jakarta and Tanjung Priok subprecinct in North Jakarta -- are ready to apply the panic-button system.
Rashid said he was afraid that the police would neglect providing services to the wider community as they would now concentrate on the few who were willing and able to pay.
He also said that he was afraid the panic-button system was only a new scheme for senior police officers to get money.