Police officially become civilian force

Police officially become civilian force

The National Police are now officially separate from the
Indonesian Military. The bill on National Police affairs has been
enacted by the House of Representatives (DPR). Hence, the police
are no longer a part of the military apparatus but are a civilian
institution, subject to the same civilian law that applies to the
general population.

As a result, the police need no longer live under the shadow
of the military, as a junior partner that has to obey what the
senior partner says. Henceforth, the TNI won't be able to order
the police to adopt their military style. On the other hand, the
police can no longer act like soldiers.

This separation has put the police in their rightful place.
It recognizes that police officers are not soldiers whose duty is
to be engaged in combat. They are a security apparatus that faces
different enemies from those faced by members of the Indonesian
military, which functions as a defense apparatus. Police duties
are limited to the general public.

There are a number of requirements that need to be met if the
police are to become an autonomous institution. The police will
no longer depend on funding from the military, the amount of
which hasn't necessarily been sufficient to meet the highly
dynamic challenges they face.

White collar crime is on the increase, and its incidence has
been rising at the same rate as more traditional crimes, such as
robbery, theft and the like. The police must be allowed to keep
pace with the criminals to ensure they are not left behind and do
not become the object of ridicule.

-- Republika, Jakarta