`The police's mind-set hasn't changed at all'

`The police's mind-set hasn't changed at all'

The National Police's 57th anniversary on Tuesday might be a good
time for them to reflect on their poor performance, particularly
following their independent status since 2000, apart from the
Indonesian Military's direct control. Many say the police have
yet to show much, if any, improvement, despite the enhancement of
their status. A number of Jakartans shared their experience with
The Jakarta Post.

Heri, 36, is an entrepreneur who makes banners and other
printed materials. He lives in Pondok Betung, South Jakarta, with
his wife and son:

I haven't seen any significant improvement in police
performance -- except for their shiny, new patrol cars -- since
they split from the military.

Generally, their performance is still far from satisfactory,
despite their slogan, 'to serve and protect the people.'

They still obviously bestow special privileges on the wealthy,
and on the other side, they ignore the public's right to feel
secure.

I dare say that their mentality remains the same, or even
worse than it used to be.

Nonetheless, I believe that there are many police officers who
are still clean and responsible about doing their duties. But
their number is far less than the majority of unscrupulous
officers.

They are not close to the people in a real sense. My son sees
them all as scary monsters, who always want to abuse people.

In the past, we were afraid of dealing with police due to law
breaking. But now, we are afraid of being extorted by them for
money if we get involved with them on some case.

I was very sad to recall that once I saw a police officer
extort a bajaj (three-wheeled car) driver for a pack of
cigarettes. He didn't seem to give a hoot about how poor the
driver was.

I'm sure that paints the most accurate picture of the police,
in general -- that they don't care about the people, they are
only into money, and they flaunt the law.

Item, not his real name, 43, is a tire repairman in South
Jakarta. He lives nearby with his wife and daughter:

It's no surprise that there is nothing new about the police. I
don't see any betterment on their part, despite their
independence from the military.

I can't say anything positive about them. I can only speak to
that which I have seen here on this street and other places like,
near my house, where there is a high-ranking police officer in a
residential area with many guards on duty.

Every night, police officers are supposed to patrol the
neighborhood here because the place also houses the residences of
many other police and military members. But ironically, the area
is very susceptible to car theft. A couple of days ago, someone
had his car stolen when he parked it there to have lunch.

However, I always wonder why the place here is relatively safe
from other street crimes.

I can't deny allegations that some police or military members
are often involved in such vehicle thefts. I'm aware that money
is all that matters for those officers, after all is said and
done.

Tohid, 30, is an office boy with a private company in West
Jakarta. He lives in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, with his
friend:

I guess the police, to some extent, still have respect from
the public, even though it depends greatly on the case they
handle.

Well, I appreciate the immediate and successful investigation
of the Bali bombings. In that case, their achievement has been
praiseworthy.

At least it help boost the police's image and regain the
public respect following their deteriorating performance in
general.

We can only judge them by their track record, and mostly that
means a lot of unprofessional behavior. I would rather see them
just be fair to everyone.

They seem to have tried hard to curb crimes. We can see how
the media exposes their efforts to arrest people.

However, the poor law enforcement on the part of all elements
has eroded the country's image in many ways. Law enforcers only
favor the privileged groups of people.

What the police do actually portrays a big rotten picture of
our leaders, if I may say.

On the other hand, I can't deny the fact that there are many
police officers who have a poor mentality in such a way that they
are always involved in wrongdoings.

Actually, my little brother is a police officer. Sometimes I
warn him not to commit any mischievous deeds.

Nonetheless, I also realize that to err as a matter of fact is
very human. Once I found he was involved in apparently extorting
the boss of some gambling dens.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.