Stolen cars must be returned

JAKARTA (JP): City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo, widely known for his strict attitude on discipline, has ordered all crime investigation personnel to return immediately all stolen vehicles, that they are using, to their respective owners.

"According to the rules, stolen vehicles temporarily impounded at city police headquarters for further processing are not allowed to be misused, even by the police," Dibyo said in a monthly all-officers meeting, reported spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Haryoko on Thursday.

Currently, dozens of stolen cars, of different makes and models, including new sedans, as well as various motorcycles, are registered as evidence at the city crime investigation directorate.

Bambang said that Dibyo told the meeting on Tuesday that he no longer wanted to see evidence being misused by detectives.

Bambang admitted that the chief knows that some of the stolen vehicles have been misused by a number of personnel. This behavior is contradictory to the rules.

The chief gathered all detectives and ordered them to return the stolen vehicles to their respective owners, who can show the legitimate documents, the spokesman said.

Dibyo also urged his personnel to process quickly those who have strong evidence as being the real owners of the vehicles.

"The process is free of charge," Bambang said.

Besides having to show legal documents, owners must also identify certain marks or characteristics inside the vehicles, in order to make the officers sure that they are the legal owner.

"We invite people to call me direct, or the city police chief, if they find any difficulties in their efforts to get back their vehicles," Bambang said.

In many cases, people who successfully get back their stolen vehicles have given a certain amount of money, depending on the condition and type of the vehicles, to the police as a thank you.

"But police are not allowed to ask for such a thing," Bambang said. (bsr)