T

he country’s graft watchdogs have welcomed the National Police’s plan to launch its own special anticorruption squad, which is expected to cost Rp 2.6 trillion (US$192 million) to set up, but remain cautious about the latter’s true intentions.

The National Police already has an anticorruption desk under its Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), but officials claimed its work was being hindered by a limited budget and personnel.

During a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission III overseeing legal affairs on Thursday, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian urged the government to speed up the establishment of the anticorruption squad, which was first proposed in July.

The team, he said, would be led by a two-star police general, whose office would be located in the Jakarta Police compound.

“We will need Rp 768 billion for the [wages] of 3,560 personnel and Rp 359 billion to conduct investigations. We also need Rp 1.55 trillion for equipment and facilities, such as offices, as well as investigation and surveillance systems,” Tito said.

The four-star general went on to say that he had coordinated with the Defense Ministry and conveyed the plan to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

The National Police’s proposal comes amid controversy over the House’s inquiry into the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which many critics believe is an attempt to weaken the antigraft body and, subsequently, its investigation into the e-ID graft case that has implicated several lawmakers.

The House is demanding that the KPK be stripped from its investigative and prosecutorial powers, and aims to empower the police as the institution mandated by law to fight crimes, including corruption.

Despite concerns that a special antigraft squad within the police could end up being used to defang the KPK, the antigraft commission has welcomed the plan, saying that it was crucial to strengthen the police’s role in eradicating corruption.

“It’s better to have more [institutions] hunting for corruptors,” KPK spokesperson Febri Diansyah said on Thursday.

The KPK has as of August this year collaborated with the police and the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in handling 114 corruption cases and supervising 175 others. It also takes part in joint training programs with the two institutions, which has involved 1,399 AGO personnel and 1,533 police officials, Febri said.

“Besides investigating and prosecuting, the KPK is also tasked with coordinating and supervising this collaboration, which has gone on for years and continues to strengthen,” she added.

Corruption Studies Center (PUKAT) director Zainal Arifin Mochtar from the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) said the police’s anticorruption squad would have to compete with the KPK in positive way to improve corruption eradication measures.

“The police’s anticorruption squad should not be used to weaken the KPK,” Zainal told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Transparency International Indonesia secretary-general Dadang Trisasongko said establishing the new antigraft unit would not solve the challenges law enforcement institutions face when investigating corruption cases, particularly with regards to effective coordination between the police and prosecutors.

“Another challenge lies in the AGO’s supervision of [police] investigations. The KPK addressed that problem by integrating the prosecution and investigative processes into one institution,” Dadang told The Jakarta Post.

Tito has dismissed activists’ concerns, saying that the police’s antigraft detachment was not meant to compete with the KPK.

“We want to give the investigators high salaries, just like the KPK,” Tito said. (dra)