Police win praise, but still lacking professionalism

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.