National Police Internal Supervision Needs to be Reorganized

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

A number of aids to the former Head of the Profession and Security Division of the National Police, Inspector General Ferdy Sambo, left after undergoing an examination at the Komnas HAM Office, Jakarta, Tuesday (26/7/2022).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The disclosure of a number of police officers who tried to obstruct the investigation into the murder case of Brigadier J or Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat means homework for the Indonesian National Police to deconstruct or rearrange the internal supervision system of the institution. This needs to be done immediately so that there are no more evil public consortia within the National Police.

The National Police's Special Inspectorate Team has examined 83 police officers who are suspected of being involved in trying to obstruct the investigation into Nofriansyah's murder. Of that number, 35 of them are suspected of violating ethics. Of the members of the National Police who are suspected of violating ethics, 15 people have been specially placed and three people have been detained because they have been named suspects.

On Tuesday (23/8/2022), of the 24 police officers who were transferred to the community service division, several of them were suspected of being involved in engineering the scenario in the Nofriansyah murder case. One of them is the former head of the South Jakarta Police, Sr. Comr. Budhi Herdi Susianto.

Also read:

> Time to Rectify the Police’s Internal Affairs

> Security Camera Suggests Putri’s Involvement

When the investigation into the death of Nofriansyah was managed by the South Jakarta Police in mid-July, Budhi said that Nofriansyah died as a result of gunfire with Bhayangkara Dua (Second Patrolman) E or Richard Eliezer Pudihang Lumiu at the official residence of the former head of the Profession and Security Division of the National Police Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo at the police complex, South Jakarta. It was later discovered that Nofriansyah died because he was killed on the orders of Ferdy Sambo.

A police researcher at the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS), Bambang Rukminto, said on Tuesday that the National Police now have homework to deconstruct and then reconstruct the internal system as a whole. This needs to be done starting from the division of authority to supervision that can ensure that the system runs well. "Development of this system is very urgent to ensure that in the future there will be no more evil consortia within the National Police," he said.

Bambang said that the reconstruction of the internal surveillance system in the National Police needs to be done immediately because the efforts of police personnel to fabricate cases and cover up mistakes by their fellow members have often occurred, but do not appear in the community. He said that previously there was Adj. Sr. Comr. Brotoseno, a former corruption convict, who returned to work in the National Police. After being criticized by the public, the National Police only dismissed him at a judicial review of the ethical decision on 8 July.

KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN

Head of Unit III Sub-Directorate III of the Directorate of Corruption Crimes at the National Police Bareskrim Adjunct Senior Commissioner of Police Raden Brotoseno attends the trial at the Corruption Crime Court (Tipikor), Jakarta, Thursday (18/5/2017)

However, said Bambang, the effort to deconstruct the internal surveillance system within the National Police cannot be carried out by the Chief of Police alone. "Development of a system that can reestablish public trust in the police also requires political support from the President, who gives mandate of the National Police Chief," he said.

The transfer of 24 police officers to the community service division was conveyed by the head of the Public Relations Division of the National Police, Insp. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo, on Tuesday. The transfer was decided by the National Police Chief through a telegram number ST/1751/VIII/KEP/2022 dated 22 August 2022. Those who were transferred started from the rank of senior commissioner to the second patrolman from the National Police’s Profession and Security Division (10 personnel), the Criminal Investigation Department (2 personnel), the Mobile Brigade Corps at the Profession and Security Division (2 personnel), Jakarta Police (9 personnel) and Central Java Police at the Profession and Security Division (1 personnel).

Among the transferred police officers is Budhi, the former head of the South Jakarta Police. Previously, Dedi had disclosed that in relation to the alleged obstruction of the investigation into the murder of Nofriansyah, Budhi was specially placed at the Mobile Brigade Corps Headquarters Kelapa Dua, Depok.

Strengthen Kompolnas

A member of Commission III from the United Development Party (PPP) faction, Arsul Sani, said that until now the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) as the external supervisor of the National Police has not had the authority and budget to oversee the National Police. Kompolnas, which has a budget of Rp 14 billion (US$942,763), must supervise the National Police as an institution with more than 330,000 personnel and a budget of more than Rp 100 trillion.

Strengthening Kompolnas, he said, could be done through the revision of Law No. 2 of 2022 on the National Police. Through this revision, the regulation on the supervisory structure of Kompolnas can be upgraded to a law so that its authority and budget can be more adequate.

Also read:

> Protecting the Truth

> Chance to Build Trust

Separately, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin also emphasized that the role of Kompolnas needs to be strengthened in order to better control the police. "Giving directions so as to strengthen the role of the National Police," he said.

Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Body of the House of Representatives (DPR) Achmad Baidowi added that the discourse on revising the National Police Law had begun to emerge from House of Representatives Commission III. The murder of Nofriansyah is seen as an impetus to reform the police. However, the decision will depend on the results of the legislative body meeting

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.