Door-to-door police service takes motorists by surprise

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 04/05/2008 12:40 PM  |  City

TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE: Police officer Adj. Insp. Munadi visits a Cengkareng Timur neighborhood Wednesday on his special duty providing door-to-door renewals of vehicle tax documents. (JP/Triwik Kurniasari)

Since January, motorists in Greater Jakarta have enjoyed a police-initiated door-to-door vehicle tax document renewal service.

"I was scared upon seeing a police officer at my door, delivering a letter for my son. I thought my son had committed a crime, like dealing drugs," Tri Ngatiningsih of Cengkareng Timur, West Jakarta, said.

The 59-year-old was referring to the visit of Adj. Insp. Munadi, an officer from the Cengkareng Police subprecinct, who delivered a vehicle tax letter to her house.

"I was frightened even though I know him. No police officer has been to my house before," Tri, a neighborhood chief, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

When Munadi explained the new door-to-door service, Tri was relieved.

"I had heard about the service but I did not know the procedures until then. I think it is great. The letter reminds us to pay our vehicle tax on time," she said, adding that it was practical and efficient.

Sudirman, another Cengkareng resident, was also caught off guard when officer Munadi came to his house Wednesday.

"It's not a usual visit. But I am glad the officer gave me the announcement letter so that I will not be late in paying my motorcycle tax," said Sudirman, who usually renews the document through a middleman at the Motor Vehicle Document Center (Samsat).

Since January, the police have provided this door-to-door service in 10 subdistricts in Greater Jakarta, deploying one officer to each subdistrict.

The officer delivers the letters, which are issued by the nearest Samsat office, to vehicle owners.

Motorists can then ask the officer to process their vehicle tax documents at the Samsat office, and deliver the renewed documents to their home.

Or, if they wish, motorists can handle the process themselves at the Samsat office, at a special counter.

This service comes following the success of the police mobile unit, which drives around to different neighborhoods so residents can renew their documents at the police van. This month, police also began operating vehicle document centers in malls.

A Menteng, Central Jakarta, resident, said the new service was efficient.

"It is easy and quick. It takes less time than renewing vehicle documents at the Samsat office. It usually takes more than an hour to arrange the documents at the office because of the long queue," he said.

The resident, who asked that his name not be used, said he was so pleased with the service, he did not object to giving the police officer a tip.

In two months, the police have processed documents for 5,298 vehicles, comprising 2,731 motorcycles, 2,262 cars, 274 pickup trucks and 31 buses.

Munadi receives about 20 letters a day from the Samsat office in Daan Mogot, also in West Jakarta, and processes about five vehicle documents daily.

"Sometimes it's not easy to find the residents' addresses, especially for those who live in narrow streets. I usually entrust the letters to the neighborhood community chiefs," said Munadi.

"If there is a resident who has sold their vehicle, I will ask for the new owner's address, report it to the Samsat office and return the letter," he added.

Munadi said that sometimes he had to use his own money to pay the vehicle tax.

"There have been times when motorists failed to give me enough money. It usually happens when they are late in paying the tax and have to pay a fine. So, I use my money first to cover it," he said.

Indonesian Police Watch executive Neta Pane said the door-to-door service was ineffective and a waste of time.

"Police often say that they lack officers, for example, to deal with traffic. But now they deploy officers to go around subdistricts and find addresses. It would be better if they deployed the officers to handle traffic congestion in the city.

"In this case, the police are just looking for popularity. Residents might be thankful for this program, but I question where they get the budget for the gasoline for the motorcycles used by the officers going door-to-door. This is very inefficient." (trw)

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