National Police must be decentralized: Expert
National Police must be decentralized: Expert
Andi A. Mallarangeng, a political expert and proponent of the
regional autonomy drive, shares with The Jakarta Post's Ridwan M.
Sijabat his thoughts on the need to "decentralize" the National
Police.
Question: What role should the National Police play in the
autonomy drive?
Answer: The National Police should preserve its original
roles, namely order and security, enforcing the law, combating
crime and regulating traffic. So, the police's main task is to
serve the public.
However, the current crucial problem is not what the police's
duties are but how they should carry them out as effectively and
efficiently as possible so as to maintain public order and
security.
In entering the autonomy era, the National Police must be
decentralized, or at least deconcentrated, in order to improve
their accountability and service to the public. All police
personnel must be decentralized to regencies under police
districts.
A district police chief with his/her officers must be
subordinated to the regency administration concerned and be
accountable to its regent.
Q: Why should the police be decentralized?
A: Because all regions have their unique social problems and
locals know better than the police do what their real problems in
their own regions are. So, with autonomy, (we should) let the
people identify their social problems and set priorities as to
what the police in their region must do.
For example, the Acehnese have demanded that their policewomen
wear the jilbab (Islamic headscarve), the Papuans want the police
to enforce the law and create a feeling of security among them...
Of course, the police in urban areas are being required to
concentrate on combating terrorism, the widespread use of banned
drugs and economic crimes.
Q: Your comments on the recent bombings in a number of cities?
A: As a member of the Indonesian Peace Forum (FID), I would
suggest that the police, who are responsible for security and
order nationwide, investigate the incidents thoroughly and...
take strict action against those who are directly and indirectly
involved in the bombings.
The long and complicated line of command from the National
Police chief to police districts and police stations in the areas
concerned will likely obstruct a thorough investigation into the
incidents.
The police would find it easier to investigate the bombings if
the National Police were decentralized because police districts
would then have to account to regents and regency legislative
councils.
Q: What is wrong with the current centralized line of command in
the National Police?
A: The current long and complicated line of command has made the
police ineffective and inefficient in carrying out their onerous
duties. Internal reform in the National Police organization will
not be successful unless the force returns to its 1945 khittah
(raison d'etre) when it was subordinated into the home affairs
ministry.
The police in Malaysia, France, Italy and many other
democratic countries are subordinate to their home affairs
ministries and the people in these countries respect their police
forces for their good work and public service.
Q: What are the benefits of a decentralized police force?
A: Police personnel will be grouped into police districts in
regencies and they must be loyal to regents. Their budget and
recruitment system will be determined by the regency
administrations and regency legislative councils concerned.
National Police Headquarters will have the sole task of providing
an education and training system with a general curriculum for
police cadets.
In appointing a district police chief, a regency
administration should advertise in the media to attract qualified
candidates.
Candidates will be selected by regency legislative councils.
The shortlisted candidates are then proposed to the regent for
his consideration.
Regions will have the authority to design the structure of
their police districts and to allocate the necessary budgets in
accordance with their social problems.
Q: Is our police force ready for such a transformation?
A: Like or not, it must be done some time in the future. However,
the police could begin to become deconcentrated in the provinces
during the current transition period.
With such deconcentration, provincial police forces would be
subordinated to governors and a governor would have the authority
to appoint the provincial police chief from among several
candidates proposed by the National Police chief. These
candidates would have to be approved by the provincial
legislative council.
It is now the time for people to freely determine what the
police must do in order to maintain order and security and this
is a part of democracy.
Q: What will happen to the military's territorial function?
A: The Military Commands, Military Districts and Subdistricts and
their subordinate counterparts in the villages must be dissolved
in order to enable the police to carry out their security
function. The military should be involved in the security
function only in emergency situations.
The police will not be able to perform their duties and
democracy will not develop if the presence of the military in the
regions is maintained.