Dutch East Indies Police Use Pitung To Improve Their Bad Image

JAKARTA - The image of the police in the era of the Dutch colonial government is the worst law enforcers. The low salary is the reason the police justify any means to increase their income. They often take the proceeds of looting, bribery, and other crimes.

This series of problems made people's trust in the police fall to its lowest level. They don't trust the police. However, the Dutch began to tactics. The heroism of “The Conqueror of Pitung” Schout AWV Hinne was used like a police imagery tool in the Dutch East Indies.

The role of the police as a guardian of order in the Dutch East Indies was limited. The police are only present in big cities, such as Batavia, Surabaya, Semarang, or Cirebon. Obviously, the police were there to protect the rulers of the time: the Dutch people and officials.

Meanwhile, guarding outside European settlements was usually left to village officials. It is voluntary in nature. This condition made law enforcement in the Dutch East Indies unclear, aka ineffective.

Perhaps the police were an important aspect of law enforcement in the Dutch East Indies. But being a police officer (commonly called the Dutch Schout) is not a promising job. Almost no Europeans dream of being a cop.

Even a job as a law enforcement officer pays little. This raises a variety of problems. The position of the police and then the Bumiputras, one of them. Most of them are not equipped with adequate knowledge. Not called incompetent.

“It is common knowledge that the indigenous police are lazy, sluggish, and corrupt, furthermore insolent and arrogant towards people of equal or lower rank, and are submissive and subservient to those who because of their previous position or previous social position, even though prisoners, viewed as masters by the guards; This explains why the guards often refuse to act if such prisoners escape on the way,” said Kees Van Dijk in the book Dutch East Indies and World War I 1914-1918 (2013).

Salary matters are vital. Small wages then encourage the police to do everything possible to make a profit. Right or wrong someone does not always matter. They perpetuate disgraceful practices, from snatching the loot to accepting bribes.

The colonial government understood the role of the ineffective police. But, as always. The government ignored it. Provided the European settlers lived safely and comfortably. While the natives must accept the impact.

This condition of the police is a way for the people to not trust the police. It's useless for them to report to the police. Because the police cannot be trusted. Easy to bribe too. The police mentality is only directed at being loyal to the authorities.

To the gentlemen of the Netherlands, who in fact has a high position such as the head of the resident. “A Dutch employee is the head of the province, who is called differently from governor, resident, or assistant-resident. According to the interests of the locality of the leadership, but the authority is the same.”

"That is, according to the name of each appropriate region with the name of the governor, residency or assistant residency. These employees represent the government in power, insofar as it corresponds to the royal power in the highest jurisdiction, civil and financial administration, as well as police control,” said J. Stroomberg in the book Dutch East Indies 1930 (2018).

The bad image of the Dutch East Indies police spread throughout the country. The Dutch colonial government was not silent. They began to plan to wrap up the image of the police. The heroism of Schout AWV Hinne's figure began to be highlighted. Hinne was hailed as a model police officer in the Dutch East Indies.

All because of the role of Hinne who was able to tame the bandits in Batavia. One of the legendary figures of Si Pitung was in 1893. His ability to stop Si Pitung's slippery crimes made Hinne revered as a smart policeman.

Because of that, the figure of Hinne always overshadows the famous story of Si Pitung's journey "Robin Hood from Betawi."

“Considering that at that time Jakarta was not yet led by an indigenous governor as it is now, Pitung confronted the Dutch Company. From the point of view of the Dutch East Indies government, he was labeled as a troublemaker who must be eradicated immediately.”

“As his enemy (a hero for the Netherlands) Schout van Hinne was sent, a police officer whose career was brilliant after he shot Pitung. Before being shot, Pitung and his friends were caught and thrown in Meester Cornelis prison. He got away. Pitung's escape is believed to be proof of his magical powers," wrote Andre Syahreza in the book The Innocent Rebel: The Strange Side of Jakarta People (2006).

Hinne's popularity as the conqueror of Pitung spread into the oral tradition of the Batavian people. The Dutch historian, Margreet van Till considered Hinne's figure at that time to be treated like the antithesis of the Dutch East Indies police. He is considered an honest police officer.

In fact, the condition of the police at that time was notoriously dilapidated. Corrupt too. The Dutch colonial government began to sniff out the benefits of Hinne's flashy image, which began to be difficult to prove between fiction and fact. Profiles about Hinne began to be allowed to appear in various forms.

Some of them Hinne became news makers in Batavia. His every move to reveal evil always provokes admiration.

“The creation of the fictitious figure of Hinne reached its peak between 1930 and 1940. Europeans, confronted with indigenous peoples, saw mainly chaos in the story. It can only come from inside. Confrontation did not only apply to Europeans in the colonies, but also to those in power in Batavia,” wrote Margreet Van Till in the book Batavia Kala Malam: Police, Bandits, and Firearms (2018).

Hinne was repeatedly mentioned in the crime report. His heroism began to enter the kitchen of stories in books published in the Dutch East Indies. His adventure of catching criminals was loved by all residents of Batavia.

In fact, Hinne was dubbed as: De Indische Sherlock Holmes. He is described as a smart detective who is brave and fair. The story of his success began to be retold from generation to generation.

“One cloudy day, after a heavy rain and the Koneng River was flooded, my mother heard people talking about Pitung just being killed by a Van Hinne bullet somewhere in the Koneng area. He fought back when surrounded by Van Hinne and his men. In the shootout that ensued, he died,” said Tanu Trh who told the story of the feud between Si Pitung and Hinne that his family had narrated from generation to generation in the book Ketoprak Betawi (2001).

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