National Police Chief Apologizes for ‘Imperfections’

The chief of the badly tarnished National Police on Thursday offered Indonesians an apology for their failings but did not specifically say what he was apologizing for.

Speaking during the policeâ??s 64th anniversary celebrations at Mobile Brigade Headquarters in Depok, Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri apologized â??for the weaknesses and imperfection of the National Police.â?

â??The public expectation is very high but we canâ??t fully meet that expectation yet. We are not perfect but we keep on trying to change our mindset and culture of our force. Human resources development is our main target for improvement,â? Bambang said.

He did not mention any specifics but the speech was delivered near where whistle-blower Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who has spoken out about corruption in the National Police but at the same time has been named a suspect in two graft cases, is being detained.

He is sure to have heard the speech and Bambang visited Susno after the formalities â??because we a solid police force and this is our anniversary.â? Susno was not wearing his police uniform.

The rogue general is also one of six generals named by Tempo magazine as allegedly possessing suspicious bank accounts containing millions of dollars.

Police are now threatening to sue Tempo and lodge criminal charges â?? not because of the allegations themselves, but because of the artwork on the cover of the magazine.

â??Why did they have to use pigs?â? a police spokesman asked.

On Tuesday, a group of nongovernmental organizations said that dozens of cases of abuse of power by police officers over the past two years was proof that the National Police had yet to implement thorough reform a decade after its separation from the military.

Indria Fernida, from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said over the past two years it had documented various cases of alleged abuse of power involving the police such as torture, wrongful arrests, persecution, wrongful shootings and the deaths of suspects during investigations.

Late last month, the Asian Human Rights Commission said that 12 years after the ratification of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by the Indonesian government, there was still a routine and widespread use of torture and ill-treatment of suspects, especially in police custody.

Torture is systematically used as a way to extract confessions or information to be used in criminal proceedings despite its prohibition under international law applicable to Indonesia, the commission said in a press release.

National Police Chief Apologizes for ‘Imperfections’

Farouk Arnaz

The chief of the badly tarnished National Police on Thursday offered Indonesians an apology for their failings but did not specifically say what he was apologizing for.

Speaking during the police’s 64th anniversary celebrations at Mobile Brigade Headquarters in Depok, Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri apologized “for the weaknesses and imperfection of the National Police.”

“The public expectation is very high but we can’t fully meet that expectation yet. We are not perfect but we keep on trying to change our mindset and culture of our force. Human resources development is our main target for improvement,” Bambang said.

He did not mention any specifics but the speech was delivered near where whistle-blower Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who has spoken out about corruption in the National Police but at the same time has been named a suspect in two graft cases, is being detained.

He is sure to have heard the speech and Bambang visited Susno after the formalities “because we a solid police force and this is our anniversary.” Susno was not wearing his police uniform.

The rogue general is also one of six generals named by Tempo magazine as allegedly possessing suspicious bank accounts containing millions of dollars.

Police are now threatening to sue Tempo and lodge criminal charges — not because of the allegations themselves, but because of the artwork on the cover of the magazine.

“Why did they have to use pigs?” a police spokesman asked.

On Tuesday, a group of nongovernmental organizations said that dozens of cases of abuse of power by police officers over the past two years was proof that the National Police had yet to implement thorough reform a decade after its separation from the military.

Indria Fernida, from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said over the past two years it had documented various cases of alleged abuse of power involving the police such as torture, wrongful arrests, persecution, wrongful shootings and the deaths of suspects during investigations.

Late last month, the Asian Human Rights Commission said that 12 years after the ratification of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by the Indonesian government, there was still a routine and widespread use of torture and ill-treatment of suspects, especially in police custody.

Torture is systematically used as a way to extract confessions or information to be used in criminal proceedings despite its prohibition under international law applicable to Indonesia, the commission said in a press release.