Police under fire for using crime evidence

By Emmy Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): There were at least 10 cars of various kinds, including a light brown Mercedes Benz sedan, parked in a makeshift garage at Jakarta Police Headquarters. Some looked dirty covered in dust and dry leaves.

But don't blame the owners as they do not have access to their cars for the time being.

The cars were all being held as evidence, confiscated from crooks.

"Those are the remaining cars we seized. Others have been claimed and taken by their owners," a police brigadier from the vehicle theft unit said on Thursday.

The cars have been parked there for months, not because no one had claimed them but because the police are still completing dossiers of the cases.

He said all the crime evidence should be kept until the case had been thoroughly processed.

"When we have completed the dossiers, we will hand it over to prosecutors, along with the evidence, which is required for a trial," he said.

The police were apparently explaining how crime evidence should be treated during police investigation.

However, it was startling to know that during an internal raid at Jakarta Police Headquarters last month, the police impounded 32 cars and 52 motorcycles from its members as the vehicles were all crime evidence.

A senior officer justified the police usage of the vehicles because they had limited money to buy vehicles for the personnel's transport.

Jakarta Police Spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam reiterated that the limited budget had prompted police personnel to use the crime evidence as they needed to be mobile.

On the other hand, he also said last month's raid on police personnel was carried out to enforce police discipline.

But he acknowledged that the cars and motorcycles should not be used by police personnel without approval from their superiors.

"Most of the time, the superior will provide a recommendation paper for the officers who use any vehicle that is crime evidence."

Anton said the raided vehicles were returned to the officers after they were able to provide the needed documents like the file of the charges and the recommendation from their superior.

In an internal briefing that was held a day after the raid, Jakarta Police's secretary of the police detective unit, Sr. Comr. Abdullah said, "For the sake of all of us, to maintain our image and to enforce discipline among us, I order you to return vehicles that are crime evidence or to complete the necessary clearance from your superiors."

A coordinator of nongovernmental group Police Watch, Athar, frowned upon the police handling of evidence.

"For whatever reason, the crime evidence should not be disturbed.

"It is totally wrong to use the crime evidence. It's not for official activities and especially not for personal use," he stressed.

He revealed that such practices had been going on for years and the public had been aware of it.

"It's not a new thing. All of us know about it. The good news is that they have publicized the raid and the results," Athar claimed.

A limited budget should not be used as an excuse to allow the police personnel to use crime evidence," he added.