National Police Commission: Supervision And Strict Sanctions Are The Keys To Reducing Police Violations

Poengky Indarti, a member of the National Police Commission. (Evarukdijati/Antara)

JAKARTA - Member of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) Poengky Indarti said strong internal supervision and firm sanctions were the keys to reducing the number of violations by National Police members in the field.

"To be able to reduce the number of violations, the key is to build a strong internal control system, including the firmness of sanctions against violators," said Poengky as quoted by Antara, Sunday, April 19.

According to Poengky, the authority for internal supervision of the National Police is still not strong, especially if there are rules if there is a violation, the direct supervisor has the right to punish first, sometimes the process at the superior takes a long time.

"There are superiors who are firm in handing over to Profession and Security (Propam). However, there are also superiors who do not care, so the process is long. There are also superiors who are still protecting the wrong subordinates," said Poengky, a member of Kompolnas representing community leaders.

At the Technical Working Meeting (Rakernis) of the National Police's Professional and Security Division (Propam) in 2021, Tuesday (13/4), the Head of the Propam Polri Division, Brigadier General Pol. Ferdy Sambo apologized for the high number of violations committed by members of the National Police in the field, both in quality and quantity.

Propam noted that the number of violations in the last 4 years has seen an increase in violations by members in the field in the last 2 years.

For disciplinary violations there were 2,417 cases in 2018, 2,503 cases in 2019 or an increase of 3.6 percent, then in 2020 there were 3,304 cases, then this year in January to April period there were 536 cases.

Violations of the National Police Professional Code of Ethics (KEPP) in 2018 were recorded as 1,203 cases, in 2019 there were 1,021 cases or decreased by 19 percent, then in 2020 there were 2,081 cases, and in the period January to early April 2021, there were 279 cases.

There were 1,036 cases of criminal offenses in 2018, 627 cases in 2019, or a decrease of 39.4 percent. In 2020, there was an increase in criminal offenses with a number of 1,024 or an increase of 53.3 percent, then this year from January to early April 2021, 147 cases were recorded.

Poengky mentioned several factors affecting the increase in violations which are currently still being researched by the National Police's Propam Division together with academics.

According to him, the number of violations that are increasingly being recorded is due to the increasing number of reports or complaints from the public through existing channels, namely the complaint mechanism to the Police that can be accessed by the public.

Furthermore, the internal supervision of the Police has become tighter so that many members who are suspected of committing violations can be "caught".

In addition, there are external supervisors, such as the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the Ombudsman, and the Commission III House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) who get complaints from the public.

The community, according to him, is increasingly daring to criticize if they see violations that are suspected of being committed by members, to the mass media which also monitors the Police.

"Advances in technology, including communication, have made member violations to be recorded and reported," said Poengky.

Regarding the violations described by the Head of the Propam Polri Division at the 2021 National Meeting of the Police Propam Division, according to Poengky, these violations need to be more detailed about what was violated.

For example, were most violations related to drug consumption, desertion, excessive use of force, domestic violence, or corruption/extortion.

By knowing the types of violations in question, continued Poengky, it will be easier to find the causes and provide solutions.

Apart from that, strict internal supervision and strict sanctions said Poengky, the leadership of the National Police must also set a good example and care for members.

"It is necessary to carry out the cultural reform of the National Police properly, it will also reduce the rate of violations," she said.

This is because, she said, the cultural reform of the National Police requires the leadership and all members of the Police to change their mindset and culture in order to become a Polri that is humane and more loved by the public.

Poengky believes that with a change in mindset and better cultures, the number of violations will decrease drastically.

"Violations do not need to be covered up. In order to become Precise, the leadership and all members of the National Police really have to be professional, transparent, and accountable," said Poengky.

Poengky added that the wrong mindset of protecting subordinates must be corrected. The truth is to set a good example for subordinates, pay attention to subordinates and impose strict sanctions if a subordinate commits an offense.