Police recruitment tainted by bribery: Applicants

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.