Police as part of ABRI need role clarified: Experts
Police as part of ABRI need role clarified: Experts
JAKARTA (JP): A national seminar on law enforcement
recommended yesterday that police be given greater autonomy to
enable them to carry out their jobs more effectively.
"The position of the police force as a part of ABRI (the
Indonesian Armed Forces) must be redefined, in both operational
and administrative terms," said the recommendation, read at the
end of the seminar.
The recommendation was prepared by a working group that was
made up of senior experts, including Muladi, Loebby Loqman and
Mardjono Reksodiputro.
Legal expert Satjipto Rahardjo, well-known as a columnist on
police matters, said that in the long run the police should be
separated from the ABRI so that the force could be more
independent in carrying out its duties.
"But giving the police greater autonomy is the most immediate
need in improving the police's performance," Satjipto said.
"Our middle class' increasingly demands for security can only
be fulfilled by truly professional police. And this can be
achieved only if the police is independent from the military," he
said.
He argued that only the police were trained in policing
civilians, while the military was trained mostly in warfare.
The issue of the separation of the police from the military
has often been raised in public forums but military leaders have
persistently rejected the idea on the grounds that the policy
could, dangerously, divide ABRI.
Among those opposed to the proposal is Gen. (ret) L.B.
Moerdani, a former ABRI chief and defense minister.
Lack of professionalism within the police force has often been
blamed on the lack of funds provided for their day-to-day
operations.
During the seminar, suggestions that the police be given at
least financial autonomy received no response.
"I think our society is not aware of the price of security,"
Satjipto said.
Earlier in the discussion, National Police Chief Gen.
Banurusman said that, to make matters worse, there was no clear
policy regarding who has the authority to investigate a case.
He said that under the existing rules, civilian officials are
also involved in investigations of certain cases, although it is
only the police who are trained to do so.
"The criminal code procedures also state that only the police
are authorized to investigate, but in reality the practice is
different," he said.
Banurusman argued that, without clear rules, any official can
claim they have the authority to arrest people. "This will lead
to violations of human rights," he said.
Banurusman's concerns received a sympathetic response from
legislators participating in the seminar.
"In one case a local police chief in Singaraja, Bali, stopped
an investigation of a man over his role in a land dispute. But,
surprisingly, an officer from the local military office arrested
the suspect for a further investigation," said legislator A.A.
Oka Mahendra of the Golkar faction.
Oka said that such military intervention in cases happened
simply because military men felt they were superior to the
police.
A similar view was expressed by legislator V.B. da Costa of
the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). He said that the official
procedure in investigations did not apply when the case
implicated an ABRI member.
He said it often happened that lower-ranking military officers
tortured a suspect before handing him over to the police. (anr)