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.