Waiting for police to make another big catch

Waiting for police to make another big catch

Imanuddin Razak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Police deserve a big round of applause for all the
good work they did last week. They put a big dent in the domestic
terrorist network by killing alleged terror leader and top bomb
maker Azahari bin Husin during a raid in Malang, East Java, on
Wednesday. Then on Friday, the police shut down a major drug
factory in Serang, Banten.

The killing of Azahari removes a terror leader and expert bomb
maker, damaging the ability of terrorists in the country to carry
out murderous attacks. Shutting down the drug factory, which was
producing ecstasy and shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), will
help prevent the scourge of drugs from destroying the lives of
any more of our young people.

Either of these successes would have been notable, but for two
major achievements like this to occur in the same week is almost
beyond belief.

Praise, however, should not go solely to the police, as a
number of different parties were involved in at least the
preliminary investigations and preparations for the operations.

Flash back to prior to the raid on Azahari's hideout in a
rented house in a quiet area of Batu, Malang. Police received a
tip from local residents alerted by the suspicious arrival and
activities of Azahari and several of his colleagues. Residents
allowed the police to use their homes to monitor the group, with
one of the homes being turned into a makeshift command post.

Residents also played a helpful role in the police raid on the
drug factory in Serang. Although the residents' role in the
preliminary investigation was small -- only complaining to
authorities about dead fish turning up in the river that runs
behind the factory -- the complaint prompted further
investigations, during which authorities determined the river was
polluted with chemicals used in the production of ecstasy and
shabu-shabu.

Police also received assistance from the Drug Enforcement
Administration in the U.S., which warned authorities of the
delivery of a machine from China used in the production of
ecstasy.

While we wish to take this moment to applaud the police, we
also can't help but wonder when we will see some real commitment
from the police to tackle other big criminal cases.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hinted during a tour of the
raided drug factory on Saturday with National Police chief Gen.
Sutanto that his next ambition was to see those involved in major
corruption cases "brought down".

The country has a special anticorruption task force, led by
Hendarman Supandji from the Special Crimes Division of the
Attorney General's Office. It also has the Special Crimes
Division itself, which deals with major corruption cases.

And the police have an economic crimes unit and an
anticorruption unit that can actively participate in the national
campaign against corruption, which is seemingly the country's
most difficult crime to tackle since authorities still have not
managed to land their first "big fish".

All of the major corruption suspects have managed to avoid
prosecution through loopholes and weaknesses in the country's
laws or simply through bribery.

Besides waging war against terrorism, corruption and the
latest drugs to hit the streets, the police remain engaged in
their long struggle against that traditional scourge of young
people the world over, marijuana.

The police have been busy arresting marijuana dealers and
users, once in a while seizing a truck transporting a large load
of the drug. However, authorities seem incapable of taking the
sort of action that really strikes a blow against the crime.
Where are the raids on the marijuana fields in Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam province or the arrests of the bosses of the marijuana
rings.

With last week's major successes, the police proved they have
it in them to carry off major operations. Now the people want to
see them do something about those involved in major corruption
cases and the acute problem of marijuana.