Community Coalition Requests Police Performance to be Audited Following Cases of Alleged Abuse of 3 Children

Friday, October 15th, 2021 23:14

Reporter : Bachtiarudin Alam

Merdeka.com –  Security Sector Reformation Coalition urges President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and the Board of Citizen Representative of Indonesia to immediately accelerate the reformation agenda of the National Police Institution. The reform was carried out by revising various laws related to the performance of the National Police.

The insistence came after the coalition assessed that the police were unprofessional in handling cases of alleged molestation by the father of three biological children in East Luwu, South Sulawesi. The aftermath of the case gave rise to the hashtag #PercumaLaporPolisi (#CallingThePoliceisAWasteOfTime).

Another push for reform in the body of the brown shirt corps was after the suspect was identified as a trader who had been abused by several suspected market thugs in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra. As well as violence carried out by the police against a number of students during demonstrations around the Tangerang Regent's Office, Banten.

“We urge the President and DPR RI to immediately accelerate the police reform agenda by revising various laws related to cultural, structural, and instrumental aspects. This revision can be started from the revision of the Police law, the Criminal Procedure Code, and various other intersecting regulations," said ICJR Executive Director Erasmus Napitupulu in his statement, Friday (15/10).

The Coalition for Security Sector Reform is a combination of KontraS, Imparsial, Amnesty International Indonesia, Public Virtue Institute, LBH Jakarta, Setara Institute, HRWG, Elsam, PBHI, LBH Masyarakat, Pil-Net, ICW, LBH Press and Center for Democracy and Security Studies (PSDK).

They also urged President Jokowi and the DPR to immediately revise the law relating to the large powers of the Police with the aim of providing effective supervision and control over the large powers of the Police, by at least prompting the discussion of the Criminal Procedure Code (RKUHAP), the Prosecutor's Bill. , and other related laws.

"The President will immediately form an Independent Team for Acceleration of Reform in the police that works directly under the President, to ensure changes occur in all lines of the police," he said.

On the other hand, the coalition also asked the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo to conduct a thorough evaluation and take corrective steps for the implementation of police duties that put forward the principles of democratic policing and respect for human rights.

"Officers who commit acts of violence must be dealt with immediately through a transparent criminal justice process, so that they can become part of the commitment to law enforcement in the internal police," said Erasmus.

Meanwhile for the internal, the coalition requested, the National Police Chief could evaluate Perkap No. 1 of 2009 concerning the Use of Force in Police Actions as the rules for securing demonstrations need to be revised by including strict sanctions rules and the obligation to process criminal charges for members who are proven to have violated the rules and regulations.

In addition, The Police Chief Rule Number 8 of 2009 concerning the Implementation of Human Rights Standards in Police Duties needs to be revised to include an attachment to SOPs related to democratic policing tasks.

“The National Police Chief is improving the education process to end the culture of violence that is still strong in the police force. Police officers have to leave the old way of looking at themselves as punishments," he said.

“Police members must realize that their duties are to maintain security and order, enforce the law, protect, protect and serve the community. Therefore, members of the police are not justified in giving punishment, especially by means of violence to the community," he concluded. [gil]