Military, police uniforms openly traded in Jakarta
Military, police uniforms openly traded in Jakarta
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Equipped with about Rp 300,000 (about US$33.70), anybody can buy
a head-to-toe police or military uniform, including cap, long-
sleeved shirt with all the trimmings, trousers, belt and shiny
boots. All are available in one well-known market in Central
Jakarta.
Buyers can name the desired rank and whether they want to be
soldiers or police officers. And those who have ambitions of
having subordinates can buy insignias indicating that they are
commanders.
Customers need not worry if they have no knowledge of the
proper insignias and badges for certain ranks and units because
the shop assistants will kindly assist their customers.
"Put this 'Metro Jaya' badge along with the 'Polda' emblem on
the right arm. And these 'Jakarta' and 'Sabhara' emblems go on
the left sleeve," a shop assistant said, producing a sample of
the correct emblem layout.
Pointing at a gold band on a police cap, the shop assistant
advised, "An officer's cap has this gold band, that of a soldier
has a silver band."
Most of the shops selling police and military uniforms have a
wide collection of emblems and pins, and anyone can buy them for
any purpose because the shop assistants usually do not ask too
many questions about the buyer.
Officially, any person wanting to open a military or police
uniform shop must have a license, issued by the proper military
or police authority. And shop assistants are supposed to ask
buyers to prove there are legitimate members of the military or
police force by producing official ID cards.
Besides the shops selling the uniforms to anybody without
asking for a legitimate military/police ID card, there are also
shops that claim they only sell uniforms to noncivilians.
However, once these cards are shown, these noncivilian buyers
can buy anything in any desired number.
"As long as they can show a legitimate military/police ID
card, they can buy anything, as many as they want. The more they
buy, the better for me," said Parto (not his real name), owner of
a uniform shop in the market.
Apparently there is no effective regulation on trading in
uniforms. Prevailing regulations, which require shops to be
licensed and buyers to be able to produce military/police ID
cards, do not impose any strong sanctions on violators.
The authorities also do not carry out any serious surveillance
on the trading.
Hendra, who runs his uncle's uniform shop, said he sells
uniforms only to buyers who can produce authentic ID cards
because he is afraid of being raided by the authorities.
However, uniform shops rarely face such a risk.
Hendra said that in all the three years he had helped his
uncle run the shop, he had never been raided.
Certainly, police and military personnel who visit the market
to buy uniforms pay no attention to whether or not the shops
possess a license. Some of them shop in stores that do not have a
license.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo, responding to
public complaints of bogus policemen operating in Jakarta,
earlier conceded that there was no regulation governing the
buying and selling of military and police uniforms and all the
trimmings.
As a consequence, the unrestrained trading is open to abuse.
Recently, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police recorded several cases
of fraudsters wearing police uniforms stopping motorists on the
street, then taking away their possessions.
The uniform shop assistants clearly realize this negative
potential.
"Please don't use the uniform to pose as a bogus policeman,"
one shop assistant cautioned a buyer with no ID, with concern in
her eyes.
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Equipped with about Rp 300,000 (about US$33.70), anybody can buy
a head-to-toe police or military uniform, including cap, long-
sleeved shirt with all the trimmings, trousers, belt and shiny
boots. All are available in one well-known market in Central
Jakarta.
Buyers can name the desired rank and whether they want to be
soldiers or police officers. And those who have ambitions of
having subordinates can buy insignias indicating that they are
commanders.
Customers need not worry if they have no knowledge of the
proper insignias and badges for certain ranks and units because
the shop assistants will kindly assist their customers.
"Put this 'Metro Jaya' badge along with the 'Polda' emblem on
the right arm. And these 'Jakarta' and 'Sabhara' emblems go on
the left sleeve," a shop assistant said, producing a sample of
the correct emblem layout.
Pointing at a gold band on a police cap, the shop assistant
advised, "An officer's cap has this gold band, that of a soldier
has a silver band."
Most of the shops selling police and military uniforms have a
wide collection of emblems and pins, and anyone can buy them for
any purpose because the shop assistants usually do not ask too
many questions about the buyer.
Officially, any person wanting to open a military or police
uniform shop must have a license, issued by the proper military
or police authority. And shop assistants are supposed to ask
buyers to prove there are legitimate members of the military or
police force by producing official ID cards.
Besides the shops selling the uniforms to anybody without
asking for a legitimate military/police ID card, there are also
shops that claim they only sell uniforms to noncivilians.
However, once these cards are shown, these noncivilian buyers
can buy anything in any desired number.
"As long as they can show a legitimate military/police ID
card, they can buy anything, as many as they want. The more they
buy, the better for me," said Parto (not his real name), owner of
a uniform shop in the market.
Apparently there is no effective regulation on trading in
uniforms. Prevailing regulations, which require shops to be
licensed and buyers to be able to produce military/police ID
cards, do not impose any strong sanctions on violators.
The authorities also do not carry out any serious surveillance
on the trading.
Hendra, who runs his uncle's uniform shop, said he sells
uniforms only to buyers who can produce authentic ID cards
because he is afraid of being raided by the authorities.
However, uniform shops rarely face such a risk.
Hendra said that in all the three years he had helped his
uncle run the shop, he had never been raided.
Certainly, police and military personnel who visit the market
to buy uniforms pay no attention to whether or not the shops
possess a license. Some of them shop in stores that do not have a
license.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo, responding to
public complaints of bogus policemen operating in Jakarta,
earlier conceded that there was no regulation governing the
buying and selling of military and police uniforms and all the
trimmings.
As a consequence, the unrestrained trading is open to abuse.
Recently, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police recorded several cases
of fraudsters wearing police uniforms stopping motorists on the
street, then taking away their possessions.
The uniform shop assistants clearly realize this negative
potential.
"Please don't use the uniform to pose as a bogus policeman,"
one shop assistant cautioned a buyer with no ID, with concern in
her eyes.