Police win praise, but still lacking professionalism

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City police won praise from the public for successfully enforcing the ban against firecrackers in Jakarta during the fasting month of Ramadhan and Idul Fitri, allowing city residents to enjoy a peaceful, solemn celebration.

The police in general also basked in public admiration when they arrested the perpetrators of the Bali bombings -- in which more than 190 people, mostly foreigners, were killed and 300 others injured -- and the Makassar bombings that killed three people.

In the aftermath of the Bali carnage, Jakarta was clouded by a sense of terror due to a rash of bomb threats. There were dozens of bomb threats but none materialized, but at least two packages that appeared to be bombs were found.

The Jakarta International School, the British International School and the Australian International School were closed for two weeks as they had received "credible threats" from their embassies of a terrorist attack targeting the children of expatriates, mostly Westerners.

Bomb threats were merely a last straw which completely broke the already frail sense of security in Jakarta. Many complained earlier that they did not feel secure amid increased crime in the capital.

At the end of last year, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara predicted that security in Jakarta would further deteriorate partly owing to the worsening impact of the economic crisis.

His prediction proved correct after security in the capital worsened considerably this year as indicated by the high level of street crime, and many people became fearful of utilizing public facilities such as pay phones, ATMs, restrooms and pedestrian bridges on certain streets.

Street crimes include car theft, burglary, extortion, muggings and robbery.

A prime example of the unsafe situation in the capital occurred in October when four unidentified people riding two motorcycles shot three people dead and injured two passersby in broad daylight, just a few hundred meters from the presidential palace on Jl. Juanda III, in Central Jakarta. The case remains a mystery.

Recent police data shows that this year, every day some 16 cars were reported stolen; more than 13 burglaries occurred; and nearly seven robberies took place in a day. Observers said the level of unreported crimes could be twice that of reported offenses.

Even in their own homes, many Jakarta residents apparently feel like easy prey.

A survey of 831 respondents in big cities conducted in July by the country's largest newspaper, Kompas daily, revealed that Jakarta residents were more fearful than residents of other cities of being a victim of crime, with 65.4 percent of Jakarta respondents feeling insecure compared to only 43.7 percent of respondents outside Jakarta. The survey also revealed that two- thirds of Jakarta respondents felt that security in Jakarta was definitely deteriorating.

Many Jakarta residents have lambasted the police for their failure to secure the city and prevent crime.

Evi Lestari, 38, an employee of a private company in Kemang, South Jakarta, said earlier that she did not expect too much from the police.

"It seems like they (police) are powerless against perpetrators here," she said.

Police have also repeatedly acknowledged their failure to make the city secure, citing a lack of manpower and funding as the cause for the failure.

A criminologist at the University of Indonesia, Adrianus Meliala, who is also a consultant to the police, said that it was time for Jakarta residents to take measures to ensure their own safety given that a major proportion of public places was out of police reach or control.

He said about 60 percent of public places were not guarded by the police, allowing criminals to commit offenses without fear of detection or capture by law enforcers.

Non-governmental organization Police Watch blamed the poor state of the police's intelligence department for the ineffectual war against crime.

However, the greatest challenge for Jakarta Police today is to change their image of being "unprofessional, corrupt and slow to respond", as expressed by one resident, Gregorius Constan, who had his belongings stolen.

"Calling the police would have spelled further trouble. At the very least, I would have had to give them 'cigarette money' before they commenced their investigation," he claimed.

No less than President Megawati Soekarnoputri has urged the police to improve their tainted image.

Megawati underlined that police professionalism was the key to upholding supremacy of the law in the country.

"A proper attitude is required from each police officer as a law enforcer. Law, not the use of force, should be your weapon," Megawati said in an address marking the 56th anniversary of the police force in July this year.

Only hours after the speech, angry police beat up four journalists at the House of Representatives compound, not far from the venue of police celebrations at the Senayan eastern parking lot.

The escape of 24 detainees from the Senen Police substation in Central Jakarta early in May this year was a clear example of police negligence and inattentiveness.

So poorly do members of the public view the police and their ability or will to fight crime that mob justice has became almost a daily occurrence, with people resorting to vigilante violence in their impatience with the fact that criminals freely roam the streets and commit offenses. A simple accusatory cry against a person or group on the street is often enough to instigate a mob attack regardless of the facts or evidence.

The Jakarta Post reported in August that at least four mob attacks took place that month. All of the attacks claimed lives.

Criminologist Harkristuti Harkrisnowo associated such vigilante violence with public frustration with the legal system.

Such unhealthy action must be stopped as it is prone to manipulation and poses a serious threat to society.

Although such acts of violence are against the law according to Article 170 of the Criminal Code and carry a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison, police appear to have turned a blind eye to such incidents.

Again using the excuse of not enough manpower and therefore being outnumbered, the police have admitted that police officers are often powerless to help the victims of mob violence.

Police also find it difficult to gather sufficient evidence and locate witnesses in order to arrest and try those involved in mob attacks, a senior police said.

However, such excuses make little sense in regard to the police's silence and apparent reluctance to take legal action against the paramilitary group Islam Defenders Front (FPI), which carried out violent raids against nightclubs and entertainment centers for almost three consecutive years.

The FPI did eventually disband in October after the police arrested and detained its leader. Unfortunately, the development of the case is not clear.

The police have repeatedly vowed to boost efforts to deal with street crime by, among other things, increasing the use of patrol cars.

Thus far, the police have deployed 364 patrol cars -- of the 500 units to be procured by the end of next year -- round the clock across the city. Their presence is aimed at deterring criminals from committing offenses.

In July, police opened emergency call center 112, which operates 24 hours a day and ensures quicker police response to requests for assistance. It also cooperated with the private sector to launch police radio station Suara Metro at 91.1 MHz FM, which informs the public about the latest security situation in the city.

Though praiseworthy, such measures fall short of public expectations. What the public needs the most is police consistency and commitment in the long run to provide better service to ensure security in the capital.