Police must pay attention to basic duties: Experts

Police must pay attention to basic duties: Experts

JAKARTA (JP): Observers told the National Police to stay
focused on its basic law enforcement duties, rather than dealing
with preparatory measures for a total separation from the
Indonesian Military (TNI) in January 2001.

Interviewed separately by The Jakarta Post on Thursday and
Friday, the observers said the police's failure to enforce the
law while abandoning its military-style culture would only weaken
the people's trust in the corps, which will celebrate its 54th
anniversary on Saturday.

"The police's separation from the TNI is a long-term project.
The country's condition will worsen in the near future if the
police fail to enforce the law and create order in society.

"There are many cases in which the police have been unable to
arrest and prosecute allegedly guilty people," Satjipto Rahardjo,
a law professor at the Semarang-based Diponegoro University, said
on Friday.

He was referring to rampant incidences of street justice in
big cities that the police have remained unable to control and
the fact that they have been unable to bring the suspects to
court.

Gen. (ret) Banurusman Astrosemitro, former National Police
chief, shared Satjipto's opinion, saying that people demanded
assurance from the police that guilty parties would receive
sentences according to the level of their crimes.

"Successful law enforcement occurs only when the police can
assure people that there is a certainty of the law in the
country," said Banurusman, who led the police corps from 1993 to
1996.

Banurusman, however, asked people not to merely blame the
police for its failure to enforce the laws.

"All parties must continue to help create new laws or improve
the existing ones to give the police legal grounds to enforce
them," Banurusman said after a gathering between National Police
chief Gen. Rusdihardjo and retired police generals and senior
officers here on Thursday.

Besides improving law enforcement, the observers also called
on the police to accelerate steps to abandon the military-style
culture to promote the protection of human rights in the country.

No more violence

The Committee for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
(Kontras) slammed the police for its failure to quit a
militaristic approach when performing their duties.

"Eradicating violence should remain the police's priority in
creating order and security in the country," Ikravany Hilman,
Kontras' deputy coordinator, told a press conference at the
committee's secretariat in Central Jakarta on Friday.

A report by Kontras claimed that the police had violated human
rights in 149 cases throughout the country from January to June
this year, which involved 509 victims. According to Kontras, 112
of these victims are now dead.

Adnan Pandupraja, secretary-general of the Indonesian Police
Watch, said the police's militaristic style still occurred during
police investigations.

"The police have often forced suspects to confess their
suspected wrongdoings," he said.

Similarly, former police chief Gen. (ret) Awaloeddin Djamin
said an end to the police's militaristic culture is a must.

"The police must prove themselves capable of using a civilian
approach," said Awaloeddin, who led the police corps from 1978 to
1982.

Usman Hamid, a Kontras staff member, said the police must
prioritize efforts to eliminate the old culture.

In its preparation for total separation from the TNI, the
police have outlined a plan to change its ranking structure,
abandoning the militaristic ranking style and adopting an
international police ranking system.

As of January 2001, the police corps is slated to be
supervised directly by the President.

Satjipto, however, said the police, who have gained authority
since April last year, should not be part of the state power
apparatus once it is directly supervised by the President.

"The police should be professional, meaning that it must avoid
interference from all parties which may only want to pursue their
own political interests," he said, while suggesting active
participation of nongovernmental organizations may be helpful in
controlling police work under the supervision of the President.
(asa)