Police hold internal gambling probe
Fadli and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post/Batam/Medan
Police forces in the provinces have vowed to clean up their acts on Friday as the war against gambling intensifies.
Being aware that certain police personnel were corrupt, Riau Islands and Jambi regional police chiefs pledged that they would take stern measures against police personnel found to be involved in gambling.
"While we are intensifying the crackdown on gambling dens, we are also conducting internal investigations. Police personnel who are known to be protecting gambling dens will be demoted or fired," said chief of Riau Islands police, Anton Bahrul Alam, who commands some 4,000 personnel in the province.
Earlier in Jambi province, chief of police Brig. Gen. Soewadji ordered police chiefs in city and regental stations to sign a contract declaring that they would support the nationwide drive against gambling. In the contract, the officers were ordered to intensify operations against gambling and arrest anyone involved in the activity regardless of their positions in public life, including fellow police officers.
"Jambi police personnel will wipe out anybody involved in gambling practices," said the one star police general, as quoted by the Antara news agency.
Separately, deputy chief of North Sumatra police Brig. Gen. Rubani Pranoto said on Friday that provincial police had arrested 193 gamblers since chief of the National Police, Gen. Sutanto, declared nationwide war against gambling on Monday.
His colleague, the chief of Banjarmasin police, Brig. Gen. Sudibyo, revealed that since he opened the SMS service number 0812-105-4444 on Monday, there had been some 500 reports from the public regarding the presence of gambling dens in their respective areas.
Most of the gambling dens were reported in Tapin and Hulu Sungai Selatan regencies, said the one star general.
"We will immediately crack down on these gambling dens," said Sudibyo, according to Antara.
As of Friday, most gambling dens nationwide had ceased operations as police intensified their crackdown against them. Some were still operating, albeit covertly. In Madiun, East Java province, the operators of an illegal lottery called togel covertly visited their customers to offer tickets amid fear of police arrest.
"Now, they only offer services to people they know well," said Sari, a togel customer. In Jambi province, Antara observed that togel gambling had disappeared. Earlier, many residents freely made bets and paid money to gambling operators on many corners of Jambi streets, but the operators had disappeared since the National Police chief ordered the crackdown on gambling on Monday.
In a separate development, religious leaders warmly welcomed the war against gambling. They said that gambling not only ruined people financially but also destroyed their morals.
"The police force have to be consistent in fighting gambling. The war against gambling should not fade away in few weeks," said the Jambi provincial head of the Indonesian Council of Ulema's, Sulaiman Abdullah, as quoted by Antara.