Trigger-happy officers

Trigger-happy officers

The National Police are again under fire after the most recent
fatal shooting incident that claimed the lives of a 12-year-old
girl and a toddler in West Jakarta early this week.

Seven police officers have been questioned over the shootings
that killed bystanders Ina Surtianah and Eli -- a three-and-a-
half-year-old girl -- when officers were chasing alleged drug
dealers in the area.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo has said that the
shootings were accidental. Nevertheless, legal proceedings will
go ahead. Unfortunately, however, Prasetyo claimed that the
shooting was "in accordance with normal practice" but that there
had been a "procedural failure".

The death of Ina Surtianah and Eli in West Jakarta reminds us
of the fatal shooting by First Insp. Bambang Suryanata, head of
North Cirebon Police, West Java, of a motorist early this month.
Anjani, a 29-year-old driver was shot in the head by Bambang when
the victim tried to escape the officer after his bus hit
Bambang's car on the Jakarta-Cikampek freeway.

Bambang, the trigger-happy officer in question, was cleared of
all charges and has since returned to work, albeit in a new job,
at the Cirebon Police Station. Cirebon Police chief Adj. Sr. Com.
Musyafak said that Bambang's action was in accordance with
"standard procedures". Even so, the shooting triggered the ire of
local residents.

To go back a little further, in March of last year, a 14-year-
old girl was hit in the mouth by a stray bullet when a policeman
opened fire to stop a fierce brawl in Ciracas, East Jakarta. It
is not clear if the Jakarta Police has done anything by way of
showing its accountability for that incident. Jakarta Police
chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara, however, has said that it
would take time to investigate the case. We see in these three
incidents a very clear case of police officers tending to look
after their own in times of trouble.

Without providing a logical and acceptable explanation to the
public of what the phrase means, it is hard to accept Prasetyo's
statement that the death of Ina and Eli was due to "a procedural
error". After all, as an ordinary human being and family man
Prasetyo should be mortified by the death of the two innocent
girls.

We can understand that none of those officers had actually
intended to kill anyone during their pursuit of criminals. But
after watching reports on the police's "achievements" aired on
private television stations every day, it is hard to erase the
impression that almost all officers prefer to use their guns to
using their hands or heads in pursuing criminals. We frequently
see, on television, police officers opening fire while chasing
criminals, even in crowded residential neighborhoods and public
places. The scenes reflect a lack of professionalism among police
officers.

In such a situation, the possibility of stray bullets taking
victims among innocent bystanders is very real. The question is
whether and how the police can be held responsible in such cases
of accidental deaths by shooting? The use of firearms must be a
last recourse for a police officer to stop a criminal resisting
arrest. This should be a standard procedure for all police
officers worldwide. According to Articles 4 and 5 of Law No.
2/2002 on the National Police, the police are empowered to play a
leading role in maintaining public security and order, upholding
and enforcing the law, and safeguarding and protecting the people
while respecting human rights.

Now that several fatal incidents due to stray bullets have
occurred and have claimed, at least, three lives, the question is
what the police have done to protect the public and respect human
rights. Something must obviously be done by the National Police
chief to review what they believe is the most appropriate model
for enhancing professionalism among officers. Also, the House of
Representatives should have summoned the National Police and
Jakarta Police chiefs to demand accountability for the fatal
shooting incidents. And what of the victims' families? The
promised "compensation" offered by the police, whatever the
amount, cannot bring back the life of a loved one.

Apparently, the five-year-old reformasi drive has yet to
succeed in pushing the police to adjust to reform, especially
after their separation from the Indonesian Military. There is no
other choice for the police as a state institution but to improve
their professionalism. This can be done by, among other things,
respecting people's right to protection. The police must also
have the courage to do some honest introspection and demonstrate
their accountability for their actions.

Only in this way will the police succeed in evolving an
effective mechanism for built-in control in order to minimize the
abuse of power by police personnel and thereby gain the public's
trust and respect -- which is, when all is said and done, the
most effective weapon the police force can hope to hold in its
fight against crime.