Police to introduce brand-new insignia

JAKARTA (JP): Just three days after introducing the use of new rank terminology, the National Police announced on Monday their plan to change the corps insignia starting from January 2001.

Head of general information unit at the National Police Headquarters, Sr. Supt. (formerly known as Col.) Saleh Saaf, told The Jakarta Post that his office was still formulating the new symbols of police ranks.

"But they'll be based on the universal standard," Saleh said.

Currently, the insignia of the Indonesian Police ranks is almost similar to corresponding military officers: yellow stars (general level), yellow jasmine flowers (superintendent level), yellow bars (inspector level), yellow chevrons (sergeants) and red chevrons and bars (private level).

In marking the force's 54th anniversary last Saturday, the police started the use of the new rank terminology.

According to Saleh, the new terminology is used in many countries.

"It's (also) the universal standard," Saleh said, but could not give further explanation.

His superior, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Dadang Garnida, earlier said the adoption of the new terminology would eliminate difficulties faced by the National Police in communicating with their counterparts from foreign countries.

However, the police, which will be directly under the supervision of the President from Jan. 1 next year, still use several militaristic terms in the new titles, which have not been adopted by police departments abroad.

The new list of the terms distributed last Saturday also differs from the terminology announced earlier by Dadang, who said that police generals, for example, would be called commissioners.

But critics have said that the new rank terminology should be followed with a significant change in the quality of police services. (08)