The Jakarta Police are moving to give civilian security officials a greater role in handling petty crime, to help allow prosecutors to focus on more serious offenses. “Take, for example, a case where someone steals another person’s chicken,” Insp. Gen. Putut Eko Bayuseno, the Jakarta Police chief, said on Thursday. “That kind of case can easily be resolved out of court.” He added that prosecuting petty crimes was a waste of taxpayer money and kept prosecutors from addressing far more serious crimes.
The police have frequently been lambasted for investigating cases that could easily be settled out of court but instead clog up court dockets and prisons. Last year, a 15-year-old boy in Central Sulawesi was arrested for stealing a policeman’s sandals, worth Rp 30,000. The public outcry over his jailing and trial led to citizens giving thousands of pairs of slippers to the police in a mocking gesture. Eko said the Security and Public Orderly Management Agency, also known as Babinkamtibmas, should deal with petty crimes.
The semi-professional body is composed of civilian security officials who have received training from the police. Petty crimes still call for large punishments under Indonesia’s outdated Criminal Code, which was passed in the 1960s and until recently classified the theft of anything more expensive than Rp 250 (3 US cents) a serious offense. The Supreme Court changed the statute in February last year. Under the new guidelines, the theft of anything worth less than Rp 2.5 million is considered a petty crime and does not require the defendant to be detained for months before a trial.
source : the jakarta globe
source : the jakarta globe
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