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)