Wrongful shooting cops undergo interrogation

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Armed police officers can be a bit of a paradox. On the one hand, they can provide the public with a sense of security, while at the same time posing a threat to the very members of the public they are meant to be protecting.

Over the last several months, a number of people have been shot or threatened by on-duty officers and trigger-happy off-duty cops.

The latest incident occurred last week, when a reportedly drunk Chief Brig. Didik Haryadi took out his gun and fired into a crowd inside a bar on Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta. Miraculously, no one was injured in the shooting.

In an earlier incident, Second Brig. Mohamad Ali reportedly opened fire in front of a bar in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta.

In March, Indra Rizki, a resident of Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, was hit in the neck by a stray bullet fired by an officer identified as First Insp. Slamet Riyadi. Indra died in the hospital several days later.

Police said Slamet was chasing a suspected drug dealer and opened fire after the suspect refused to stop.

Last year, at least six innocent bystanders, including two children, were killed by stray bullets fired by police officers.

Immediately after each of these incidents, top officers promised to come down hard on bad cops. However, it is not clear if any of these officers have been punished.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis said on Friday none of the cases had been dropped and that the police were following internal regulations on punishing guilty officers.

Zainuri said there were strict regulations that prohibited police officers from taking out their guns in public while not on duty.

He said the two off-duty officers accused of firing their guns in public had been disciplined.

"We immediately took away their guns. We suspended them from duty and even locked them up because we have no tolerance for such misconduct," he told The Jakarta Post.

Zainuri said the process was more complicated for investigating a shooting by an officer performing his or her duties. Internal affairs has to look into these shootings to determine whether punishment is called for.

"Deciding on a punishment takes time because the investigators have to determine whether the officer followed procedures, was derelict in his or her duty, or even if the shooting was a deliberate action," he said.

According to police regulations, Zainuri said, an officer in pursuit of a suspect is required to fire at least three warning shots into the air before attempting to stop the suspect with a nonlethal shot.

"The officer should also consider whether he is endangering innocent people by firing his weapon. If an officer fires at a suspect after firing warning shots, and the bullet hits an innocent bystander, that officer will still be sanctioned for using poor judgment," he said.

Zainuri said any officer involved in a wrongful shooting could face criminal charges or an internal hearing. Punishments can range from jail time, demotion, suspension or a transfer.