Seven nabbed for trying to bribe police officers

Seven nabbed for trying to bribe police officers

JAKARTA (JP): Police announced yesterday that they have
collared seven people, including four traffic violators, for
attempting to bribe officers on duty.

"Don't ever bribe traffic police anymore. Otherwise, you shall
be collared like those people," Col. Soeroso, chief of the
traffic directorate at the city police headquarters, told
reporters.

The arrest indicated the police department's determination to
crack down on what is popularly known as "on-the-road peace
settlements", where traffic violators bribe policemen in exchange
for not confiscating their vehicle documents.

Of the seven people, four were arrested for attempting to
bribe on duty officers after being ticketed, while the rest were
apprehended for trying to bribe officers at the drivers' license
bureau at the city police headquarters in order to facilitate the
application process.

The four traffic violators were identified as Suparman, 29, a
driver of a private company who was carrying his employer and his
ill son to hospital; Dada Juhanda, 30, a conductor of the
Mayasari Bhakti public bus plying the Blok M-Pulau Gadung route;
Gada Wijaya, 59, a motorist; and Pahlawan, also a motorist.

The three who were arrested for trying to bribe officers at
the drivers' license bureau were identified as Tugiyo, 29,
Suparmo, 47, and Mrs. Kusuma Wuryaningsih, 36.

Traffic signs

Suparman sought to bribe an officer who ticketed him Rp 5,000
(US$2.3) for violating traffic signs at the Harmoni intersection,
Central Jakarta.

While Dada Juhanda reportedly offered a Rp 5,000 bribe to on
duty officers when his bus broke a certain traffic law at CSW,
South Jakarta. The officers drove him to the investigative
directorate.

Mrs. Kusuma Wuryaningsih admitted to having given a Rp 15,000
($6.90) bribe to an officer at the driver's license bureau to
smoothen the process of the application of her driving license.

"I had an appointment to meet a friend so I wanted the renewal
of my driving license finished quickly," the woman told
interrogators during the questioning.

All seven suspects were charged with breaking criminal code
chapter 209 on attempting to bribe on duty officers and as such
could incur maximum two-year jail terms.

Soeroso said that as part of introspective measures he has
given instructions to all of the 1,500 traffic officers at the
City Police not to accept bribes. He promised any officers who
shunned bribes a reward of up to twice as much as the bribe
offered them.

Soeroso said the operation cleansing run by the directorate
does not only target the motorists but also delinquent officers.
For that purpose, police deploy thousands of intelligence and
military police to keep an eye on traffic police officers on
duty.

He also called on the public to report errant officers via
police PO Box 7777, or in person to the police headquarters. But
the reports should be coupled with the existence of witnesses or
evidence. (jsk)