'Police still have lot of homework to do'

'Police still have lot of homework to do'

To mark the National Police's 58th anniversary on July 1, legal
experts have highlighted the force's failure to meet the people's
expectations when dealing with big corruption cases. Many police
suspects have been allowed to walk free, some have evaded
investigations and the police cannot explain why. The Jakarta
Post asked some Jakartans for their views on the police.

Christoforus, 26, is a freelance software developer. He lives
with a relative on Jl. Bangka, South Jakarta:

Any anniversary, especially that of a state institution like
the police, should always be marked by an ongoing improvement of
the institution and related agencies.

I think the police still have a lot to do in eradicating the
rampant corruption within the force and improving their law
enforcement procedures.

Just recently, I found I could still acquire a drivers license
without all the usual procedures and bureaucracy, as long as I
paid a handsome sum of money to officers in the traffic police
department.

The police sometimes have a half-hearted approach to enforcing
the law. They strictly prosecute offenders when a law is still
new or is under public scrutiny, but then loosen their control
when it isn't. So how can we ever expect a functioning rule of
law?

They are also reluctant to stop crimes of gambling,
prostitution or the sale of pirated products when they know these
activities are being backed by other police officers. We have a
joke for that, you know, likening the police to wolves that won't
prey on their own kin.

But I'm still hoping the police will improve in a year or so,
though I hope it would be sooner.

Asep Saefulah, 41, a taxi driver. He lives with his family in
Pondok Gede, East Jakarta:

I congratulate the police for improving their service to
public. At least, I don't have to pay a fortune just to renew my
driving license in a short time. Of course there are still
unscrupulous officers around but at least the top men in the
force are among the few good men.

I hope in future the police only work to protect and serve us,
that no one is above the law. Some people are still having bad
experiences with the police -- they have to spend a lot of money
just to make sure the police will look into their problem.
There's a saying that describes how the police work: To find a
lost sheep will cost you a cow.

--The Jakarta Post