Drivers protest police extortion

BOGOR: Around 300 public minivan drivers plying Warung Jambu - Ramayana staged a protest rally in front of the Bogor Utara subprecinct on Jl. Pajajaran, Bogor, on Monday to demand an end to extortion practices by the police.

The drivers complained that some officers from the Mobile Brigade in the Kedunghalang area had been extorting them for over two months, in a scam involving supposed immunity stickers for their vehicles, in addition to a daily "tax".

They said that the officers forced the drivers to buy stickers from them for Rp 1000 each. By attaching the stickers on the front window, the officers guaranteed that they would be exempt from minor traffic violations when stopped by the police.

"The truth is we still get tickets and have to pay the fines," said one of the drivers, who requested anonymity.

Each driver is also forced to handover Rp 2,000 per day to the same officers.

The Mobile Brigade Regiment deputy, Adj. Sr. Comr. Dicky Dance Atoitoi, was not available for comment. -- JP