'I expect police to have high integrity'

The Jakarta Police have begun to implement a new mode of policing, in which patrol officers are to take an active role in reaching out to citizens and working together in neighborhood security. The concept is considered a good move to improve their services to the public, among whom the police do not have a positive reputation. The Jakarta Post asked some people about their expectations for the capital's police force.

Erna Gunawan, 25, is a student of a university in West Jakarta, where she also lives in the area of Kebon Jeruk with her family:

I'd say that so far, the police haven't been performing well. Look at our environment -- murder, robbery and other crimes are on the news every day.

Drive down the streets of Jakarta and you will see policemen who take bribes from drivers who violate traffic rules.

So I don't think the country's police have been doing their job.

I'll change my mind when there is no more murder, robbery or bribery in this country.

Sarah Hutagalung, 29, works as a secretary in Central Jakarta. She lives with her husband and daughter in Bintaro, South Jakarta:

I once lost my wallet -- maybe I accidentally dropped it while on the bus or someone took it. So I went to the police post closest to my neighborhood to report it missing. The policeman took to note everything down and made a list of the contents of my wallet.

I'd heard from friends and relatives who'd gone through the process that they usually gave the officer some money, whether they were asked or not. So I handed some money to the policeman writing the report, but he refused politely. He said he was just doing what he could to help a resident with a problem.

He is an example of a good policeman.

Although I didn't get my wallet back, the police report he wrote up really helped me to apply for new identity cards, ATM cards and credit cards.

I would expect all police officers to be like him, honest and with a high sense of integrity.

-- The Jakarta Post