Highlighting The Case Of The Murder Of The Jambi IAK Young Lecturer, Observer: Propam Often Ignores The Criminal Process

JAKARTA - Police observer from the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS) Bambang Rukminto said that the resurgence of serious crime cases committed by unscrupulous officers actually showed that there were fundamental problems in the Police's internal system of supervision and law enforcement.

It is known that the murder case of a young lecturer at the Setih Institute of Administration and Health (IAK) Setio Bungo, Erni Yuniati (37), in Muara Bungo, Jambi, which recently occurred, again opened old wounds about the integrity of law enforcement officers. The reason is, the perpetrator who allegedly killed the victim turned out to be an individual member of the National Police with the initials WLD (22).

In fact, public trust in police institutions has not fully recovered after the tragic incident that killed Affan Kurniawan, an online motorcycle taxi driver who was run over by a Brimob tactical vehicle during a demonstration late last August. The seven Brimob members who were inside the rantis have even undergone a trial of the Police Code of Ethics Commission (KKEP).

Not yet lost from memory, the image of the police was also tarnished due to a case involving 18 police officers in the alleged extortion of Malaysian citizens during the Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) event in December 2024. The case resulted in the dismissal of disrespect (PTDH) against one of the top officials at the Polda Metro Jaya police.

"As an institution that is given the authority to enforce the law by the state, the National Police must be able to sort out violations of discipline and criminal acts committed by its personnel. Criminal acts must be processed legally according to the law," Bambang told VOI, Monday, November 3, 2025.

According to him, one of the classic problems in the National Police is that Propam's tendency to prioritize ethical and disciplinary sanctions compared to the criminal process against members who commit serious crimes.

"As a result of this inconsistency, public perceptions arise that there is impunity within the National Police. Even though members of the National Police have the same position before the law as other citizens and are subject to the general court," he said.

Bambang also highlighted the importance of transparency and consistency in law enforcement so that this case does not add to the erosion of public trust in police institutions.

"For a murder case that clearly contains an element of intent, the ethics trial must be accelerated in order to fire the perpetrator as a member of the National Police. After that, the criminal process must run openly and professionally," he said.

He added that the quick and open steps in uncovering this case were a serious test for the Police's commitment to upholding the principles of precision and justice, especially in the midst of declining public trust due to a number of cases of serious violations by the authorities themselves.

"As a result of the inconsistency related to law enforcement for criminal violators personnel, the perception of impunity for members of the National Police. And this clearly violates the law considering that members of the National Police have the same position before the law as other citizens and are subject to general justice," he said.

Furthermore, highlighting the murder case committed by members of the police, Bambang considered that the police needed to be more assertive.

He emphasized that with the element of intent in the cause of death of the victim, the ethics trial process should be accelerated immediately so that the perpetrator can be immediately dismissed from the National Police membership.

"Regarding the murder case carried out by personnel, the police must be even more assertive, especially since the cause of death of the victim has an element of intent, the ethics trial must be accelerated to immediately fire the person concerned as a member of the National Police," he concluded.