Unreliable police data causes failures in fighting crime

Unreliable police data causes failures in fighting crime

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Observers revealed that a wide discrepancy between crime
reported to the police and reality on the ground could wreck
police attempts to crack down on crime.

Both criminologist of the University of Indonesia Mulyana W.
Kusumah and chairman of the police watchdog, Police Watch, Adnan
Pandupraja highlighted the importance of data on which to draw up
a strategy to combat crime.

"The high level of unreported crime can mislead police when
determining strategies to clamp down on crime," Mulyana told The
Jakarta Post last Saturday.

Mulyana revealed that many police operations could miss their
target or at the very least be ineffective should police simply
rely upon those reports in their policy making.

Mulyana attributed the ineffectiveness to the police's failure
to take action in accordance with actual crime, currently
widespread.

Greater accuracy in information gathering by the police in
their reports, Mulyana said, was essential and should involve
cross-checking and updating.

As an example, Mulyana cited the difference in the number of
deaths through crime, according to the police and the morgues.

"Improvements in police reporting would ease legal proceedings
considerably when a case is taken to court," Mulyana said.

Mulyana contended that unreported crime was higher in the case
of lesser offenses than serious crime.

"Most victims of lesser crime are reluctant to report the
incidents in order to avoid an even greater subsequent
inconvenience, rather than thinking that the incidents were of no
consequence," Mulyana said.

Meanwhile, Gregorius Constan, whose belongings were stolen by
thieves last month, admitted that he was reluctant to report his
loss to the police, to avoid further trouble.

Gregorius' losses included jewelry and cash kept in a
cupboard.

"Calling the police would have spelled further trouble. At the
very least, I would have had to give them 'cigarette money'
before they commenced their 'investigation'," Gregorius said.

Most investigations, he said, were unsuccessful in arresting
suspects and taking them to court.

Adnan revealed that many crime victims did not report
incidents due to their lack of confidence in the police's
response and their poor performance.

"The public is disappointed in the police, who do not take
immediate action upon receiving reports," Adnan said.

According to Adnan, the level of unreported crime could be
twice that of reported offenses.

Incidents in which people administered "street justice" by
beating and setting light to suspected criminals, Adnan said,
reflected the public's disappointment in law enforcers' ability
to uphold the law.

Adnan remarked that the police should be more active in
collecting and verifying crime data from the public.

Meanwhile, city police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul
Alam said that unreported incidents would not influence the
police that much in identifying their priorities for combating
crime.

"We have prioritized some cases based on many considerations,
including collected data and other information from the police
intelligence division," Anton said.

Anton revealed that personnel constraints had also prevented
the police from collecting more accurate data.

Jakarta has a total of 21,000 police personnel spread across
the city, which has a resident population of 8.3 million. Of that
total, many officers perform administrative tasks. Those figures
fall short of the ideal, namely one officer per 400 residents.