Mega urged to act on police corruption

Mega urged to act on police corruption

JAKARTA: In a bid to combat corruption within the National
Police, the Police Staff College (PTIK) urged President Megawati
Soekarnoputri on Thursday to immediately issue a decree
establishing an independent police monitoring institution already
mandated by law.

The demand was revealed in a paper Strategies to Combat
Corruption within the National Police written based on data
gathered from 19 provincial police stations by 157 PTIK
researchers.

The paper said such an independent body had already been
mandated by Articles 37 and 40 of Law No. 2/2002 on police.

The law stipulates that institution be named the National
Police Commission.

However, such a commission has not been established yet,
because the President has failed to issued a decree on it.

According to the articles, the commission would be
independent, with some of its members chosen from the public. Its
tasks would include giving the president advice for establishing
an independent and professional police force.

The council is also expected to receive advice and complaints
from the public regarding police performance and to forward those
to the president. -- JP