Police check

Police check

From Kompas

My sister and I were in a taxi around 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21. When we passed the Metro supermarket in the Greenville area of West Jakarta, the driver had to stop for a police road check. There was nothing wrong with his documents, so the police officer focused on us.

I have been working in Jakarta for a couple of years and was carrying personal documents issued in Jakarta, but my sister who was visiting from our home town of Kediri in East Java, only showed her ID from Kediri.

The police officer found fault with the fact that she had no Jakarta ID. Explaining that she was in the capital only temporarily did not help. He proposed a "truce". My sister did not understand what he meant by that. It was soon clear when he asked for Rp 20,000. My sister insisted that the case, if there was one, should be brought to court. In the end we agreed on a "fine" of Rp 5,000.

I have always been led to believe that ID raids were meant to check if IDs are valid or not, and certainly not where the IDs were issued.

I still believe that the police are doing their duty as protectors of the community. But I am not comfortable with the experience described in this letter. It is my hope that the authorities will take the necessary steps to prevent the case from happening to someone else.

ANIK NUR UTAMI

Kediri, East Java