Police recruitment tainted by bribery: Applicants
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The poor image of the police was again reinforced as several people who applied to join the force claimed on Wednesday they were told to prepare up to Rp 15 million (US$1,500) if they wished to pass the selection process.
An applicant, Koko, not his real name, told The Jakarta Post that when he was about to take the test number, a police officer told him to prepare Rp 15 million if he wanted to be accepted.
"The price is too high for me. I will have to reconsider proceeding further with the tests if money is a decisive matter in the recruitment process", said Koko, who applied to be recruited as a middle-ranking (Taruna) officer.
The National Police opens recruitment for Taruna and Bintara (low-ranking officers), for high-school graduates from March 26 to April 26.
The initial process, such as the administration and physical tests, are conducted by the Jakarta Police, while the written and psychology tests are held at the National Police Headquarters.
Shinta, not her real name, who applied to become Bintara, said that she was told to pay Rp 1 million.
"A policewoman told me, when I was queuing to take the number, that all I have to do is to submit Rp 1 million to her if I want to pass the test," she said.
Many applicants also told The Jakarta Post that they encountered the same extortion.
Corrupt police are commonplace here. It is an open secret that one can obtain a driving license without taking any test. Traffic police are also notorious for extorting bribes.
Jakarta Police secretary of personnel affairs Sr. Adj. Comr. Ngadino, denied that the practice of extortion occurred during the recruitment process of police personnel. He said police intelligence officers were deployed to prevent such a practice.
"All the processes during recruitment are free of charge. If such an incident does happen, the applicants could report it directly to me," said Ngadino.
However, he added the applicants would probably be asked to pay for administrative fees, for a folder and papers.
Currently, the National Police have some 250,000 personnel throughout Indonesia - only 55 percent are on the field, while 45 percent work in desk jobs.
Ngadino said the police are planning to recruit some 800 low- ranking officers, but he did not give the number for the middle- ranking officers.
Ngadino added that up until Wednesday, only 300 from at least 2,000 applicants for both Bintara and Taruna had qualified for the first physical test, which is the parade test.
The applicants must pass seven tests comprising of health, swimming, mental ideology, psychology, and academic tests.
Those who are accepted to become a Taruna will be sent to the Police Academy in Semarang, Central Java, while a Bintara will take a short course at the police training center in Lido, West Java.
A fresh graduate of the academy will hold the rank of Second Inspector with a monthly salary of about Rp 1.2 million (US$120), while for Bintara it is Rp 750,000, with the rank of Second Adjutant Brigadier.
To become a member of the police force, the minimum requirement is an average high school grade of 6.5.
On Wednesday, the police were kept busy by woman suffering from depression named Adelia Heriyanto, who climbed a 100-meter telecommunication tower located inside the Jakarta Police Headquarters.
She had apparently applied for Bintara, but did not qualify because her average grade was only 5.5, according to a police officer who handled the case.
She stayed at the top of the tower for almost four and a half hours before the police managed to convince her to end her suicide attempt.