Police say no charge to report stolen car, public beg to differ

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Though residents say different, the Jakarta Police claim reporting a stolen vehicle is free of charge, quick and convenient.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said on Monday all owners had to do was report the theft of their vehicle to the nearest police station.

"A police officer on duty will ask the vehicle owner some questions and will also question at least two witnesses at the crime scene," he said.

The officer will give the owner a copy of the report, which the owner then brings to Jakarta Police Headquarters to obtain two official letters on the theft and an order to freeze the vehicle's registration number.

"The documents are issued by the city police's directorate of general crime," Tjiptono said.

While that may be the official process, many residents have complained about having to pay "bribes" to report their cars stolen.

Indonesian Police Watch executive Rashid Lubis said his organization had received complaints about fees being charged for supposedly free police services.

He said the fee to report a motorcycle stolen was between Rp 500,000 (US$55.56) and Rp 1 million, while for a car that figure could be as high as Rp 5 million. Obtaining an order to freeze a vehicle's registration number cost extra, he added.

Vehicle owners must obtain official documents from the police before they can file a claim with their insurance company if their vehicles are stolen.

An employee with an insurance company, who refused to be identified, said that generally the minimum cost for obtaining the three documents -- a copy of the initial report, the official letter on the theft and the registration number freeze -- was about 10 percent of a vehicle's value.

"But many of my clients must pay up to 30 percent of the value of their cars," he said.

"I guess the police are taking advantage of the fact that people must submit these three documents. They think the people do not lose much because at the end of the day the car will be replaced," he said.

Police Watch said car owners were often able to get back their stolen cars at a price, usually 25 percent of the value of the vehicle.

Tjiptono said if such things were taking place, the public should report the dirty cops to internal affairs.

However, Police Watch said the practice of charging the public for this supposedly free police service was so ingrained it had become part of the system.

"Money from the paperwork for reporting stolen vehicles is one of the sources of extra income for the police," Lubis said.