Police in hot water over intensifying street crime

T. Sima Gunawan, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, sima@thejakartapost.com

With a smile on his face, a police officer kicked a shirtless boy who had a swollen lip and a cut near his eye. Another grinning officer held the boy's arms.

The boy, who was reported to be 19 years old (though he looked much younger), was arrested for allegedly robbing passengers aboard a bus on Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta on Thursday. A sickle was seized from the suspect.

As if it were not bad enough that the prolonged economic crisis has led to rising crime rates, now the suspected criminals include fresh-faced teenagers.

The officers arresting the boy may have been smiling out of pride at having nabbed a dangerous criminal who was endangering the lives of bus passengers. But most people would rather see the police beat crime rather than criminals.

People have long since lost confidence in the police, who have failed to live up to public expectations as crime fighters.

Of course it would be difficult to fight crime if rumors of police officers and military soldiers actually backing criminal enterprises are true. In the case of the attack on the office of the Tempo news magazine on March 8, police did nothing to stop a mob from intimidating journalists, and stood idly by as editors and reporters were struck by leaders of the mob.

However, critics must admit that the police have made some efforts to combat crime. The Jakarta Police recently added to its fleet of patrol cars and equipped the vehicles with Global Positioning System. This is good, except the capital's notorious traffic jams might have made motorcycles a more effective option.

Last July, Jakarta Police Radio was established at 91.1 FM and the 112 emergency number was introduced. However, 112 is not yet up to the standards of 911 in the United States, with most people here unaware of the emergency number's existence and its effectiveness still not known.

There are undoubtedly police officers out there who are good and clean. But many people continue to see the police as corrupt, with officers extorting people and taking bribes.

"If I am driving and I see a policeman around, instead of feeling safe I feel afraid," a friend said. He has every reason to feel so given reports about traffic officers stopping motorists for questionable offenses and offering to settle the matter "peacefully" -- give the officer some money and the case is closed.

Money matters. Another friend said that last year he filed a police report after his car had been stolen. When a few days later he asked about the investigation into the matter, an officer told him that in many cases cars stolen in Jakarta turned up in West Java. The officer added, however, that they did not have the money to continue the investigation. My friend, fully aware of the low salaries received by the police, got the message and handed over some money.

He never got his car back.

The oft-cited joke here is that if you lose your chicken and report it to the police you will also lose your goat. And if the case goes to court you will lose your cow as well.

In 1999 the police were separated from the military, with the hope that the change would make the force more professional. The police vowed to repair their tarnished image, not only by wearing new uniforms but also by improving their performance in order to regain public trust and confidence.

Unfortunately, things not only have not gotten better, they have become worse.

A number of high-ranking police officers, including a former Jakarta Police chief, were found allegedly to be involved in the smuggling of luxury cars. The case hit the headlines when it broke and police vowed a thorough investigation, and now a year- and-a-half later the matter seems to have disappeared and the status of the investigation is unknown.

There have been reports in recent years of police offices being attacked by mobs unsatisfied with the police's handling of a case. And there also have been numerous incidents of suspected criminals being lynched, a phenomenon experts have partly blamed on the breakdown of trust in the police.

On Sunday, about 100 bus drivers attacked the Paliaman Police station in Cirebon, West Java, after they heard a fellow bus driver had been shot and killed by a police officer. The officer in question allegedly shot the 29-year-old driver for hitting a patrol car. It was reported that the officer became angry and discharged his weapon when the driver refused to pull over.

The officer was suspended shortly after the incident, but the West Java Police later declared him innocent and ruled that the shooting was "in accordance with procedures".

The police motto is "to protect and to serve". If the police really want to regain the trust and confidence of the public, they should truly protect and serve the people rather than their fellow officers.