'People should dare to question officers'

Undisciplined police officers and the public's poor legal awareness have, to a certain extent, encouraged the emergence of thieves disguised as police officers. Should the city police neglect to take serious measures, such fraudulent officers will further threaten public security. The Jakarta Post asked the public for their views on this issue.

Haji Ashari, 45, is a chicken soup vendor in Palmerah, West Jakarta. He lives near his kiosk with his wife and four children:

In my opinion, the best way to anticipate bogus police officers is never to allow them to solve the problems in an "amicable" way.

Even if we are obviously wrong for violating traffic regulations, for instance, don't let the police solve the case on the spot. Instead, ask them to do so through legal means at the nearby police precinct or at the city police headquarters, despite the fact that we would have to pay a larger fine than if we had just paid off the officer.

This way, we will find out whether the police officers are real or just frauds, as the bogus ones would disagree to the legal procedures. If they then fail to identify themselves, we could call the real police for help. But if they try to commit crimes like robbing or attacking us, we could shout for help to catch them.

Actually, the fraudulent practices of the undisciplined police and military officers have partly inspired the frauds to follow suit. In particular, the 'amicable settlement' between traffic violators and real officers gave the thieves the idea to pass themselves off as police officers, to play more mischievous tricks on ignorant civilians.

Worse still, the public, including me, are not willing to undergo the legal processes, which are often long and complicated and prone to bribery. People can't be bothered to follow such a complicated bureaucracy, and tend to bribe the police for an immediate solution.

Andi, 28, is an employee at a multinational company in Central Jakarta. He lives in Pondok Gede, Bekasi, with his wife and son:

Frankly speaking, I have been fined several times for passing a red light, even though I knew I hadn't. And, worse still, I usually take the 'amicable' solution to escape any legal procedures by bribing the police officers.

I think that the police actually suggested the legal procedures for the violation. However, I wanted the short-cut settlement, as it is very quick and much cheaper than taking the case to the police station. Frankly, it was I who asked for that illegal way, not the police.

However, the police frequently do not respond immediately to the public's reports on street crimes. Once, my friend reported to the police that he had been robbed, but they did not help him because my friend didn't give them any money.

Of course, this lowers the image of the police in general. It will be worse because of these bogus officers.

In a way, the police's bad image and easily purchased police and military uniforms have encouraged the emergence of frauds. The police's image won't improve unless they take serious measures against these bogus ones. If necessary, they (the frauds) should be shot dead.

Now, I would think twice if I was stopped by police officers for unclear reasons. It's time for civilians to dare to ask the police for their ID cards and other official documents in such a case.

I think the caution and courage to question their identities will likely prevent the bogus officers from spreading all over the city.

Martha, 24, works at a private company in Kemang, South Jakarta. She resides in Pamulang, Tangerang, with her family:

To some extent, I can understand that the economic hardships have motivated people to survive through many ways, including posing as a police officer and robbing people. People can do just about anything in order to survive.

So, the city police should take action and crack down on the bogus officers. It is also necessary to check whether there is a conspiracy between the real police officers and the phony ones. It is important to find out how they (the frauds) got their firearms.

I regret to say that many people only obey the security forces because they are intimidated by their uniforms and power, while in actuality, they should be more critical in asking for police IDs or other proofs of identity from the officers.

If they become irritated, we can suspect they are frauds. And if they confiscate our belongings for unclear reasons, we could take legal recourse.

On the other hand, the police should take reports on street crimes more seriously. Don't ignore the reports, because they may be true. Otherwise, people won't believe in the police anymore. As a result, the fraudulent police will simply run amok.

The people have lived in misery due to the economic hardship, so don't let them suffer more due to the bogus officers' threats.