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