Evaluation of Governance Following Violation Findings
The Indonesian National Police (Polri) has clarified recent media reports alleging that the Bareskrim detention centre (Rutan) had become a den for narcotics and contained various illegal facilities for detainees. Polri asserts that the reporting does not fully correspond with the facts found on the ground.
Head of the Public Relations Division of Polri, Inspector General Johnny Eddizon Isir, stated that Polri did discover a number of violations in the management and supervision of detainees. These findings were obtained following a surprise inspection and raid at the Bareskrim detention centre several days ago.
“The news reports stating that the Bareskrim detention centre is a narcotics den are not true. However, we are not covering up the fact that during the surprise raid we did find several violations, committed by both guarding officers and detainees,” Johnny said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
According to him, one of the violations found was officers allowing family members to visit or meet detainees outside the designated visiting hours. Officers were also found to have provided services to detainees by setting up a place or kitchen to prepare food and coffee. Such facilities should not be provided if they do not comply with the regulations and standards for managing a detention centre.
In addition to violations involving officers, the raid also uncovered several infractions committed by detainees. Among them, some detainees were found to be keeping money in their cells, albeit in small amounts. Officers also discovered a mobile phone hidden by a detainee inside a book. This was immediately addressed, as detainees are strictly prohibited from storing and using communication devices without permission.
Johnny emphasised that the results of the raid did not uncover any facts supporting the accusation that the Bareskrim detention centre was a place for drug trafficking and use. To ensure this, Polri conducted drug tests on all detainees, with particular attention given to those held on narcotics-related charges. The results showed that all detainees tested were negative for drugs.
“All detainees have undergone drug tests, especially those related to narcotics cases. The results were all negative. So, no facts were found to support the impression of drug use by detainees as suggested in the media reports,” he said.
Nevertheless, Johnny stated that Polri is not ignoring the circulating reports. The information will instead be used as material for evaluation to tighten supervision and improve the governance of the Bareskrim detention centre. Internal action has also been taken against the guarding officers found to have committed violations. They have been examined by the Profession and Security Division (Propam) of Polri to account for their actions.
“The guarding officers who were found to have committed violations have been examined by the Propam Division. Of course, every violation must be accounted for in accordance with applicable regulations,” Johnny said. In addition to enforcing discipline against officers, supervision of items entering the detention rooms, the implementation of visiting hours, and compliance with guarding procedures will also be tightened.
“Although the substance of the news reports about the Bareskrim detention centre being a narcotics den is not true, we are still using the circulating information as evaluation material. Every finding will be followed up to improve the implementation of guarding duties and ensure that detainee management runs according to the rules,” Johnny said. Polri, he continued, is committed to carrying out reforms openly and will not tolerate any violations committed by officers or detainees. “The principle is, if there are violations, we admit them and we fix them. But the information conveyed to the public must also be in accordance with the facts and accountable examination results,” Johnny concluded.