Experts warns of police crime wave
Experts warns of police crime wave
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The number of crimes involving soldiers and police officers in
the capital will rise unless the authorities start to come down
hard on personnel who break the law, an expert says.
Police Watch chairman Rashid Lubis said on Wednesday police
officers and soldiers thought they could commit crimes and not be
punished.
"They have nothing to fear because their units and their
superiors protect them. Personnel who commit crimes will repeat
the act, and worse their friends will follow them once they learn
they can get away with criminal behavior," Rashid told The
Jakarta Post.
Rashid was discussing the numerous crimes committed by
military and police personnel over the past few months, with the
latest incident being a home robbery committed by two soldiers in
Pulogadung, East Jakarta.
The two allegedly assaulted the owners of the house in the
course of the robbery. Officers from the East Jakarta Police
arrested the pair near the crime scene but later handed over the
soldiers to TNI Headquarters.
Rashid said the worse punishment a soldier or police officer
could now expect was a transfer to a new post.
"Such a light punishment is not a deterrent, so we will see
the number of crimes committed by soldier of cops continue to
rise," Rashid said.
According to data from Police Watch, a non-governmental
organization that monitors the police and law enforcement in the
country, only 1 percent of 300 crimes committed by police
officers nationwide in 2004 reached the courtroom. The record for
TNI personnel could be even worse.
"I think the record for the TNI is poorer because they always
cover up the legal process for guilty soldiers," Rashid said.
Numerous soldiers and police officers have been arrested in
Jakarta over the past month. Their alleged crimes include
robbery, kidnapping, gun trading and drug dealing.
Three police officers, including a commissioner, were arrested
for allegedly extorting Rp 64 million from a Japanese
businessman.
The three officers, two from National Police Headquarters
identified as Comr. JS and Second Insp. M, and one from city
police headquarters identified as Second Brig. B, are being
detained at the South Jakarta Police Headquarters. The status of
their case remains unclear.
Earlier, seven soldiers were accused of kidnapping a
businessman in Cilandak, South Jakarta. Police said they were
still questioning the seven.
A legal expert at the University of Indonesia, Rudy Satrio,
said Indonesia had a law stipulating that crimes involving
soldiers should be investigated by the police and tried in a
civil court, not a military court.
"So the police and civilian prosecutors should handle any
crimes involving soldiers. However, the reality is that the
police are still reluctant, even afraid, to interfere with the
TNI," Rudy told the Post.
Both Rashid and Rudy urged the authorities to get tough with
any police officer or soldier who committed a crime, to deter
other officers and soldiers from following suit.