Juwono says police set to be independent institution in 2001

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said on Wednesday the National Police would separate from the defense ministry to become an independent organization in 2001.

"The police will be directly under the supervision of the president and their main task will be to handle security nationwide," Juwono said.

He added that there would be a clear distinction between the duties of the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) in order to provide an effective defense system.

"Police will handle internal threats while the military will handle threats from outside the country. So violence, strikes and separatist movements will be handled by the police," he said.

Police could ask the military for assistance if they felt unable to perform certain tasks, he added.

The police were officially separated from the military on April 1, 1999.

Juwono acknowledged the fact that police have found it difficult to maintain security was in large part due to the number of police officers in the country.

"The ratio between the police and the population is 1:1,300, meaning a police officer has to serve 1,300 people. Therefore, the numbers in the police force should be increased because of their heavier tasks in the future," he said, citing the ratio in developed countries was 1:300.

He therefore called on legislators to support an increase in the police's budget to enable them to recruit more personnel and purchase new equipment.

The amount of officers in the police force currently hovers at about 200,000.

National Police deputy chief Maj. Gen. Bimantoro, who accompanied Juwono in the hearing, conceded that police were still somewhat amazed at the rapid developments which the country had seen recently.

"We were shocked by the changes resulting from the reform in the military. In the past, we were subordinate to the military but now we have to be in the front line when handling security affairs at home," he said.

Bimantoro also acknowledged that personnel shortages and lack of equipment hampered the police in carrying out their duties across the country.

He pointed out that it was a challenging task ensuring and watching over the security of such a large territory without modern equipment.

"For example, a police vessel departed for Maluku 15 days ago to bring humanitarian assistance to the troubled province. But we have yet to receive any information on whether the small ship has reached the province, or sank in the eastern waters," he said. (rms)