Police lack people's trust, observers say

Police lack people's trust, observers say

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police is celebrating its 50th
anniversary on July 1 dogged by many serious problems, most
notably the public's lack of trust.

Criminologist Purniyanti of the University of Indonesia said
that a recent survey revealed almost 27 percent of the community
would rather not report to the police the crimes they witness or
experience because they think the police incapable of solving
them.

"We found that the public has a misperception of the police.
They don't see the police as the protector of the public," said
the researcher at the university's Criminology Institute.

National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo has earlier
admitted that many people, particularly those living in remote
areas, prefer to report crimes to local village leaders rather
than to the police.

"We still don't know why this could be, but I've instructed
all my personnel to serve the public as best as they can, and
never to hurt anybody so that more and more people start trusting
the police force," Dibyo said here on Thursday.

He reasoned that a good image will convince people to help the
police by reporting crimes promptly.

Despite the police's low salary and shortages of personnel and
equipment, Dibyo has pledged to set up a national police force
whose members are proud of their job.

In the meantime, "we are trying to provide new devices,
equipment, such as uniforms...in order to motivate our personnel
to work harder to serve the public," he said.

Dibyo said that he had also ordered his 175,000 personnel
across the country not to demand or take bribes. "If they are
found guilty of any misdeeds, they will face serious punishment,"
he said.

Bambang Widjojanto of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (LBH)
suggested that one of the causes for the poor image of the police
force is the fact that it is structurally attached to the Armed
Forces(ABRI). It is one of the components of ABRI along with the
Army, Navy and Air Force, while most other countries place their
police force under the interior ministry.

"This position is affecting its role in maintaining public
order," he said. "The police have become more of a tool of the
military than the protector of the public."

"If they want to have a clean image, then they need to return
to be a public protector rather than an arrogant ruler, " Bambang
said.

He also criticized the police for "meddling in other people's
business". "Police officers often try to do more than identifying
a crime, which is their job. Instead, they try to 'guide' a
suspect so that his confession matches a particular article of
the law," Bambang charged. "They should not go that far, that's
the job of the courts."

On Thursday the chief of the national police, Lt.Gen. Dibyo
Widodo said that the police will expand, taking in an additional
30,000 recruits in 1996/1997.

The plan was greeted with skepticism by experts. Purniyanti
stated that an increase in number may not help much.

"They need to do more than increase their numbers," she said.
"One of the most important tasks is to raise the skills of the
people they have; this could be done through in-house training
and workshops."

Purniyanti believed that many high-ranking officers have
realized that there is a problem. "They know that the public has
high hopes for them. Unfortunately, their subordinates are not
always able to 'interpret' their commands correctly," she said.

"The public should also help the police so that they can do
their job. The police can't do it all on their own," she said.

The Criminology Institute is scheduled to launch a book titled
Quo Vadis Polisi next Tuesday. It contains writings by
criminologists, psychologists and legal experts on the police's
role in society. (06/bsr)