'Police discriminative in handling cases'

'Police discriminative in handling cases'

Police are currently under the spotlight for their investigations
into the shooting of a businessman and his bodyguard and the
serial kidnappings in Jakarta and West Java. Both cases reflect
the difference in how police view "big" and "petty" cases.
Several lawyers shared their views on how the police are handling
the cases with The Jakarta Post.

Hendardi, 45, is the director of the Indonesian Legal Aid and
Human Rights Association. He lives in Cipete, South Jakarta, with
his wife and two children:

I think the police perform well only when there is a lot of
public attention on the cases they are handling.

In the shooting case of a businessman and his bodyguard,
police began to give serious attention to the investigation only
after public pressure.

Why were they not able to anticipate the likelihood of another
shooting after another director of the same company was shot in a
public place only a month ago?

I also reckon that money, in a way, motivates the police to
work well. It is undeniable that money and power greatly
influence police performance. They give attention to a case
depending on the money.

It's obvious that police only work well for rich people and
give the opposite quality of service for the poor.

I suggest the public and the media cooperate in exposing cases
involving victims among the lower-income groups. I'm sure such
pressure will encourage the police to perform better.

Muhammad Asrun, 43, is the chairman of Judicial Watch in
Central Jakarta. He resides in Rawamangun, East Jakarta with his
wife and three children:

Law enforcement depends greatly on the social status of the
victims. It's not surprising that the shooting of a prominent
businessman and his bodyguard has drawn police attention.

On the other hand, the abduction cases, which also claimed
lives, seem to have been ignored because they did not involve
important people.

The police would not follow up the (kidnapping) cases. They
are discriminative.

It would be different if, for instance, Gus Dur's
grandchildren were kidnapped. I'm sure police would be responsive
and investigate the case.

Police still need to be pressured by prominent people. The
greater the pressure, the faster police will solve the case.

I understand that police have a limited budget to conduct
thorough investigations. Public pressure and money are dominant
factors to force the police to solve criminal cases.

In my opinion, the police are not professional. They don't
respond quickly to common people's reports on criminal cases.

To serve and protect the public remain mere cliches due to
their unprofessional performance.

Rita Olivia, 29, is a public attorney with the Trade Union
Rights Center in Central Jakarta. She lives in Pondok Gede, East
Jakarta with her family:

Police performance is dependent on public attention. They seem
to work effectively when they are under pressure from the public.

They are now working seriously to nab the suspects of the
shooting of a businessman and his bodyguard because the media has
given the case exposure.

Likewise in the Bali bombing case which claimed hundreds of
lives the police were pressured not only by locals but also from
the international community.

Police tend to pay less attention to cases which are not
covered by the media. Perhaps, the reports on the kidnapping are
not as many as the shootings. That's why they are not under
pressure.

It is undeniable that money is also an important factor.

I still believe that the police have the capacity to handle
any criminal cases.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.