National Police should not be part of ABRI: Experts

National Police should not be part of ABRI: Experts

JAKARTA (JP): Efforts by the national police to improve their
professionalism are hampered by the fact that they are part of
the Armed Forces, a seminar concluded yesterday.

Trimoelja D. Soerjadi told the seminar -- held by the Indonesian
Legal Aid Foundation -- that the police should be separated from
the Armed Forces in view of their different doctrines.

"The Armed Forces abides by the doctrine of warfare, while the
police are people's servants and protectors," Trimoelja said.

Also addressing the seminar were J.E. Sahetapy of the law
faculty of Surabaya's Airlangga University and criminologist
Mulyana W. Kusuma.

The seminar was discussing the police bill, the deliberation
of which is underway in the House of Representatives.

Trimoelja said that as long as the police were subordinated to
the Armed Forces, they would remain unable to deal adequately
with "cases related to power."

Sahetapy said that the police were beleaguered by internal
problems and external challenges, while at the same time they
were facing demands for greater autonomy and obedience to human
rights under the principle of the rule of law.

"The police have yet to come to terms with their weaknesses
because they have no self-referential system that is self-
sustaining" Sahetapy said.

He said that the bill should give police autonomy to carry out
their duties, adding that the police should be responsible only
to the President.

Trimoelja suggested the bill be overhauled, arguing that it
gives police excessive powers which could lead to the development
of a police state.

"The bill gives the police wide powers, without adequate
control mechanisms," he said.

The bill gives 24 police authorities powers to investigate any
crime and the authority to issue travel bans. Critics expressed
concern that the police's investigative authority under the bill
may overlap with that of civil institutions.

Critics have also said that the bill, which is expected to be
passed by the House next month, lacks constraints on police
powers, particular in relation to the use of violence.

National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo has defended the bill,
saying that it has been drafted in the best interests of the
nation. (05)