Mass beatings reflect distrust of law enforces

JAKARTA (JP): An act of violence by a local crowd toward people caught committing crimes in their area, was a reflection of the public's lack of faith in the way law enforcers handled alleged criminals, a criminologist said Saturday.

Harkristuti Herkrisnowo said crowds beat up people they caught committing crimes because they thought it was their only chance to punish them, and because criminals caused so many societal problems.

"They presume that the criminals will soon be back on the streets because the law enforcers will not punish them severely," Harkristuti told The Jakarta Post.

"It's also possible that some people get involved in the beatings just to vent their frustrations and other personal feelings toward the system or about their lives," she said.

She was commenting on the number of mob beatings of people caught committing crimes last week.

Police records show that five alleged criminals were mobbed by angry people last week in Greater Jakarta alone.

Three beatings took place on three consecutive days starting Wednesday. Two people were killed in the beatings and others were hospitalized with serious injuries.

On Wednesday, former athlete Robinson Hutasoit, alias Ucok, 35, was beaten to death by at least 20 people at Klender market in East Jakarta.

Preliminary investigations show that Ucok had forced traders to pay him protection money.

On Thursday, Nurahmat, 27, was mobbed for trying to rob a taxi driver in Kembangan, West Jakarta. He was treated at Al Kamal hospital in West Jakarta for severe injuries.

And on Friday, unemployed Muhamadiyah, 20, was beaten to death for attempting to rob a vendor in Lemahabang, Bekasi.

Harkristuti said people's faith in the law enforcers' handling of criminals seemed to be dwindling because they saw that many criminals were soon released.

Sometimes police had no choice but to let alleged criminals go because the was not enough solid evidence to use against them, she said.

"That has created a presumption within the public that law enforcers are not handling criminals properly, or as they (the public) want them to," she said.

"However, this is no excuse for assaulting apprehended suspects," she said.

Police said that an average of five suspects were mobbed by angry people each week, and that about two or three people died at a crime scene every month.

"Compared to our population of about 11 million, that (the beatings) is nothing in terms of numbers. But, that shouldn't be a precedent," Harkristuti said.

She said that it was not easy for the police to handle a mass beating because it created a dilemma.

"On one hand, a mass beating is a crime and perpetrators should be punished. But, on the other hand, the handover of a suspected criminal by the public -- even after having beaten the suspect -- is a big help which should be praised," she said.

City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang agreed that mass beatings were against the law and that the people involved should be punished according to the law.

"We thank people for helping us handle a crime by apprehending and handing over to us alleged suspects. However, they have no right to beat someone up just because he is a criminal," he told the Post.

He said most beatings took place because suspects resisted locals' attempts to try to stop them, and tried to fight back with weapons.

He said the police always investigated both the crime allegedly committed by the suspects, and the subsequent beatings.

He said anyone involved in a beating would be charged under Article 170 of the Criminal Code on violence.

This article imposes a maximum penalty of five years and six months imprisonment.

"However, most of the time we find it difficult to nab the perpetrators because everyone who witnesses the incident seems to try to cover for the perpetrators," he said. (cst)