The police force fires 200 to 500 officers each year for various offences, National Police Deputy Chief Commissioner General Nanan Sukarna Said.Palu, Central Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Hundreds of police officers have been dismissed every year in Indonesia for various violations, a senior police official claimed on Thursday.
The police force fires 200 to 500 officers each year for various offences, National Police Deputy Chief Commissioner General Nanan Sukarna Said during a visit to Palu, Central Sulawesi.
He called on the people to help monitor the police and report them if they break the law. "I am also ready to be fired if I am found violating the law," he said.
He assured that there was no discrimination in enforcing the law in the police force, referring to a recent dismissal of Boyolali district police chief, who happens to be a woman, over charges of corruption.
"We have fired her and referred her case to the prosecutor`s office for further investigation," he said.
Nanan admitted that some of the 350,000 police personnel in the country had violated the law and they had therefore become the target of media scrutiny.
He however also criticized the media for painting a bad picture about the police force, saying that police have done commendable job which was not reported by media.
He said the police force work in difficult conditions, referring to demonstrations involving stone throwing. He said the police had to step away as "they could not retaliate because if they do they would become suspects".
The same principles apply to gun use, he said, adding that the police forces could not arbitrarily shoot law-breakers and would not like to be branded human rights violators.
Nanan said the police forces are undergoing internal reform to live up to public expectations. He meanwhile called on regional police chiefs to frequently reach out to the people.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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