Juwono says police set to be independent institution in 2001
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)