Human rights monitor, Imparsial, said Monday that after 12 years of reform, the police had failed to succeed in its institutional reform program due to weak supervision and lenient punishment for members involved in crimes.
Imparsial Managing Director Poengky Indarti said that both external and internal supervision of the police was lax, with officers at different levels tending to protect each other, causing impunity among unscrupulous police officers.
“The police Internal Affairs Division and General Supervision Inspectorate become the place for police officers to seek protection, particularly in cases involving political interests and violence against women,” she told reporters at the Imparsial office in Jakarta.
She also criticized the role of the National Police Commission, a body functioning to accept public reports on the police, saying that the commission, which has limited investigative authority, had failed to pass on those reports effectively.
“In some recent cases, especially those centering on judicial corruption, the commission's role was no more than a complementary institution without active contribution of constructive suggestions,” Poengky said.
She also raised concerns about lenient punishment for police officers involved in crimes. She added that most cases involving police officers were not taken to court.
“Some officers were just demoted rather than dismissed from their posts,” she said. (rdf)
Human rights monitor, Imparsial, said Monday that after 12 years of reform, the police had failed to succeed in its institutional reform program due to weak supervision and lenient punishment for members involved in crimes.
Imparsial Managing Director Poengky Indarti said that both external and internal supervision of the police was lax, with officers at different levels tending to protect each other, causing impunity among unscrupulous police officers.
“The police Internal Affairs Division and General Supervision Inspectorate become the place for police officers to seek protection, particularly in cases involving political interests and violence against women,” she told reporters at the Imparsial office in Jakarta.
She also criticized the role of the National Police Commission, a body functioning to accept public reports on the police, saying that the commission, which has limited investigative authority, had failed to pass on those reports effectively.
“In some recent cases, especially those centering on judicial corruption, the commission's role was no more than a complementary institution without active contribution of constructive suggestions,” Poengky said.
She also raised concerns about lenient punishment for police officers involved in crimes. She added that most cases involving police officers were not taken to court.
“Some officers were just demoted rather than dismissed from their posts,” she said. (rdf)
