Police's professionalism

Anniversaries are usually moments for reflection on what has been and what has yet to be achieved. For this reason, it is only natural that our national police force is making such a contemplation on its present 51st anniversary.

There are many challenges which we have to face in the future involving all kinds of aspects -- from the ideological to the political, the economic, the social and cultural, to those that concern our defense and security interests. Moreover, they are certain to grow in import as a result of the swelling tide of globalization. We must therefore underscore the President's hope that our national police force will continue to step up its professionalism to establish an image of honesty and authority -- a force loved by the people.

A major yardstick by which to measure the success of a police force is the degree of security and order that prevails in society -- a situation that is closely associated with our respect for the law and the consistence in which the laws are enforced.

But it should be remembered that such demands and expectations need to be balanced by efforts to step up the welfare of officers, in accordance with common humanitarian principles. This is important because it is an aspect that helps to determine whether or not our police force will be able to perform its duties and assume its responsibilities optimally.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta