Undercover agents assigned to catch crooked cops
Undercover agents assigned to catch crooked cops
JAKARTA (JP): The city police chief has ordered the heads of
related directorates to deploy plainclothes officers to arrest
policemen found violating standard procedures when ticketing
people breaking the traffic law.
"Disobedient police personnel deserve harsh punishment for
their delinquency," Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto
told reporters on Saturday. "There will be no excuse for them!"
He also instructed the head of the Municipal Traffic
Directorate Col. Soeroso to see to it that his personnel always
explain the violations the motorists being ticketed are charged
with.
He said the police are prohibited from taking any documents
from drivers they believe have violated a regulation, without
giving them a traffic ticket.
"It's absolutely against the law for the police to hold any
documents from motorists without giving them tickets," Hindarto
said.
The two-star general said that suspected violators have the
right -- as stipulated under the law -- to contest any
accusation leveled at them by the police.
Court
"Everybody can argue with an officer," he said. "If the
officer wants to stick to his guns, let him do it. The violator
will have the opportunity to explain his position thoroughly in
court."
The court has the right to set the accused violator free if he
is found not guilty, he said.
"The court is also allowed to set the amount of fine lower or
higher than initially set by the arresting officer," Hindarto
explained.
During the meeting, Hindarto was accompanied by officers and
the heads of directorates of the city police command, including
Deputy Police Chief Brig. Gen. Ismet Abdullah Soelarso, Crime
Investigation Directorate Chief Col. Nurfauzi, Intelligence and
Security Affairs Directorate Chief Col. Agus Samad and the Chief
of the Command and Control Center for Operations Col. Muhantojo.
The meeting with reporters over the weekend was apparently
designed to explain the stance of the city police in the
enforcement of the higher fines for traffic violators which
sparked massive sit-in strikes by hundreds of bus drivers last
week.
The protesters vowed to obey the new fine scale but alleged
that the police had often unfairly ticketed violators, especially
city bus and minibus drivers.
"The police gave us a ticket even though the door was opened
by our passengers," complained one Metro Mini driver.
Commenting on the complaint, Hindarto said: "Such an
allegation is not nonsense. My wife and I have separately
experienced such situations."
A police officer, who apparently did not recognize Hindarto,
stopped him and accused him of violating a traffic sign.
"The officer refused to accept my explanation and forced me to
give him my driver's license," he said. "But as soon as he
learned what my job was from the document, he gave it back to me
and refused to argue further."
He also said that one day his wife was asked to get out of her
car and to stand outside under the hot noonday sun to listen to a
police officer's explanation on a perceived problem, Hindarto
added.
"We need all information, including from the press people,
about our personnel's behavior so that we can create an honest
and authoritative police force," he said.
On the other hand, Hindarto said he hoped that drivers,
especially those of the 30-seat Metro Mini minibuses, would
further improve their attitude on the streets.
He urge the drivers not to hand over the buses to other people
who are not qualified to run public transportation vehicles.
"Many accidents and traffic violations in the city are made by
people who are not the authorized drivers of the buses," he said.
He warned the management of PT Metro Mini to pay greater
attention to that problem.
Police data show that about 40 percent of traffic violations
by city bus drivers in the city are committed by Metro Mini
drivers. (bsr)