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)