Police urge prosecutors, judges to improve image
Police urge prosecutors, judges to improve image
JAKARTA (JP): City police urged prosecutors and judges to
increase their commitment to improving the quality of law
enforcement in the capital.
According to Jakarta Police chief of detectives Col. Alex
Bambang Riatmodjo, police are often disappointed when they learn
the suspects they arrested have simply been freed by the courts.
He said police officers worked hard to arrest suspects and
provide adequate evidence in the suspects' dossiers to file
criminal charges in a court of law.
In many cases, however, suspects are allowed to walk free even
when their dossiers are still at the prosecutor's office, he
said.
He also said that often suspect's received light sentences
from the court.
"I'm not saying that it's the prosecutor's office which
doesn't work well, but I'm talking about the facts.
"It happens many times. I once received a telephone call from
a suspect who proudly told me that he already settles his case
without having to go to trial," Alex told The Jakarta Post in an
interview last week.
The officer, who was appointed to his current post earlier
this year, said he could now understand why people often claimed
to be able to "buy" the police, prosecutors and judges.
"When I find this culture (of bribery) in my office, which is
far from what I expected, it doesn't mean that I should surrender
and follow the custom.
"Instead, I am trying to instill a healthier culture among my
subordinates by showing them my commitment and firmness in
handling cases," he said.
Tolerate
Gifts or tips from people who wish to show the police their
gratitude are not strange in his office and they can be
tolerated, he said.
However, he said if the gifts were given in connection with
current cases being handled by the police, he would take stern
action.
"I have not received reports that my subordinates (have
accepted gifts in relation to cases they are handling). Maybe
they learn from their superiors. So, first I have to let the
people know that we're clean and then they will never try to
bribe us," Alex said.
A police captain from the armed crimes unit said it was
difficult to refuse gifts or bribes from suspects seeking to have
their charges dropped.
However, he realizes he deals with people who have caused
damage or endangered the lives of others, so there is no excuse
to let them go free.
The officer said that recently the wife of Teng Syan, a
suspect who was arrested for buying stolen merchandise from a
group of shoplifters he had organized, offered him gifts,
including a car, in exchange for dropping the charges against her
husband.
"I said no. It's not only because I know my boss is an honest
man but because Teng Syan is a criminal and deserves to be
imprisoned," he said, adding that Teng was jailed for "only" six
months for the same offense in 1996.
Teng's dossier was accepted by prosecutors and his trial
reportedly was about to begin, but the police detective recently
heard the suspect was only serving city arrest.
Lt. Col. Abdullah, chief of the police's narcotics unit said:
"As long as I've been here, there have been no suspects in
drugs-related cases, either mere consumers or suppliers, who were
released on bail."
Abdullah, who had spent most of his career with the unit, said
his men should follow up cases which have been transferred to the
prosecutor's office.
"If we have time to check on big cases, we can check with the
prosecutors and if necessary attend the trial," he said.
However, due to heavy workloads and limited personnel, these
follow up activities are rarely possible, he said.
"Good cops and bad cops are everywhere, just like good judges
and bad judges. Inside the police, we are already trying to erase
the police's bad image. But since we're related to other
institutions, why can't we build a better image together," Alex
said.
Alex said if other institutions could prevent criminals from
buying their way out of charges, the country's law enforcement
system would become more effective. (emf)