Police's record is 'still poor'
Evi Mariani and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
After 55 years of service, the prestigious Jakarta Police are still deemed a disappointment by taxpayers, who pointed to unresolved crimes and chaotic traffic management on Monday.
Around 18 million residents rely on this institution to provide security in the Greater Jakarta area of Jakarta, Bekasi, Tangerang and Depok. And for tourists and would-be investors, security in Jakarta is one of the issues that contributes to first impressions about the vast country.
"We conducted a simple survey two months ago, asking people's opinion on the performance of the city police," Indonesian Police Watch chairman Rashid Lubis told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. "Most of them responded by saying that police services are getting worse."
Education, an expert said, is sorely lacking among police personnel who most need it "to protect and to serve".
Yusuf, a professor with the post-graduate program for police studies at the University of Indonesia, said education for low- ranking officers was urgent.
"Education for low-ranking officers is very important because they are the frontline of the force who are directly involved with the public," he said on Sunday.
"With proper education, we hope the officers will not be involved in saddening, violent acts such as what happened recently at the Bojong waste processing facility (in Bogor regency) where they shot protesters," he added.
Yusuf, who had studied detectives' behavior in Surabaya, East Jakarta, pointed out that so far only 20 percent of detectives have received proper education.
He advised the police to immediately establish the National Police Commission (KKN) tasked with monitoring their performance. The law on the commission was passed in 2002 but the commission has not yet been established.
Lubis of Police Watch pointed out that most complaints involved the deteriorating traffic situation in the capital. "Traffic is an indication of the quality of police services."
Still fresh in people's minds is the fatal incident last month when traffic police stopped passing vehicles on the Jagorawi toll road near Cibubur toll gate, East Jakarta, to make way for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's convoy.
The abrupt stop led to a pileup in which six people died.
Police almost immediately named two drivers as "suspects" although there was no thorough investigation.
Security is also a major concern for the public as terrorists have targeted the capital, shaking Jakartans' perception that terrible things only happen in areas remote from the metropolis.
The bombing outside the Australian Embassy in Kuningan, South Jakarta in September, shocked city residents who perhaps had thought that the police had learned all that was necessary from last year's JW Marriott hotel bombing that killed 12 people and injured 147 others.
The Kuningan blast killed 11 people while more than 180 others were injured. The investigation into the explosion is still continuing under the National Police.
The Police Watch survey also revealed that the crime rate has increased this year, Lubis said.
Data from the Jakarta Police Headquarters reveals that the number of crimes is increasing in the capital. On an average monthly basis up until September, there were 205 robberies and muggings, 648 burglaries and 763 auto theft cases.
The figures were higher compared to last year's average monthly rates of 168 robberies and muggings, 510 burglaries and 532 auto thefts. In 2002, there were 175 robberies, 390 burglaries and 499 vehicles stolen each month.
City police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani had promised at the beginning of his term that his main priority was increase his officers professionalism and provide better training and interactive discussions between police elements. Related story Page 4