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Analysis: National Police credibility on the line over death of junior cop
The death of a junior police officer has caught the nation’s attention this past week, with the media and the public increasingly skeptical of the National Police’s claim he had been killed in a gunfight with another lower-ranking officer after he tried to sexually assault the wife of Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo, the chief of internal affairs.
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A number of police personnel participated in the 2014 Apple Ketupat Operation Force Title at Metro Jaya Regional Police Field, Jakarta, Monday (7/21/2014). The operation lasted for 16 days, from July 22 to August 6, 2014 involving 137,795 joint police and military personnel aimed at securing the implementation of Idul Fitri 1435 H. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
Overview
The death of a junior police officer has caught the nation’s attention this past week, with the media and the public increasingly skeptical of the National Police’s claim he had been killed in a gunfight with another lower-ranking officer after he tried to sexually assault the wife of Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo, the chief of internal affairs.
The explanation left many unanswered questions and the family of Brig. Nofriansyah Yoshua Hutabarat, the dead officer, has gone on the offensive by questioning the police’s story. They have demanded an independent inquiry, with their lawyers now filing a complaint, inevitably with the police, claiming that his death had been a case of premeditated murder.
The National Police’s credibility is hanging in the balance as the public is being fed by relentless media coverage since the case came to light on July 11 about the unusual circumstances of the officer’s death. The tone of the coverage questions the police’s explanation, and now the suggestion of a cover-up is undermining the public’s trust in the country’s law enforcement agency. Even President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has weighed in on the case, telling National Police chief Gen. Lystio Sigit Prabowo to make sure the case is investigated thoroughly.
This week, Lystio relieved Ferdy of his duty in internal affairs pending the investigation, apparently at the order of the President. Analysts have said the suspension should have been done immediately given Ferdy’s powerful and influential position in the force.
The police have asked the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas-HAM) to conduct an independent investigation, but going by recent practices, the commission was brought in more to calm the public and take the pressure off the police. In 2021, Komnas-HAM was invited to conduct an independent investigation into the death of four members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), but its findings of unlawful killing were ignored and the police’s claim of self-defense stood in court. No officer was convicted.
Publicity-seeking politicians are quick to get in on the act, some speaking in defense of the National Police and others critical of their handling of the case. But their real motive is the 2024 general election.
