Police Offer Bounty for Filing Report over Illegal Levies

TEMPO.CO, Semarang - The National Police has offered a bounty of Rp5 million (US$384) to public for reporting police officers allegedly involved in illegal levy practices.

“There is a reward of Rp5 million for community members who file a report and can prove any illegal levy practice conducted by police officers,” Sr. Comr. Bambang Prayitno, inspector of regional supervision at the Central Java Police said in a talk show in Semarang, Central Java, on Tuesday, October 25, 2016.

Bambang called on public who experienced or knew anything about illegal levies to report the practices. He added that the police institution expected public to be actively involved in eradicating illegal levies.

The Central Java Police has formed a task force to carry out supervision functions related to illegal levies. Bambang admitted that the police institution is not yet free of illegal levies.

He explained that an illegal levy practice could be easily identified by checking whether the collected fee was in accordance with the regulation or not.

Sabarudin Hulu, acting head of the Central Java branch of Indonesian Ombudsman, hopes that police would provide access for public to report illegal levy practices. He added that the Central Java Police must guarantee that those who file reports over illegal levies would not be criminalized.

“People are reluctant to report [illegal levy practices] because they are afraid of being criminalized,” Sabarudin said.

He revealed that the Central Java Ombudsman receive complaints from public who experience administrative malpractices in relation to public services. Sabarudin asserted that illegal levy is a form of administrative malpractice.

Sabarudin explained that Article 54 of the Law on Public Services can be used impose sanctions against state officials for providing poor public services.

“However, many state officials are unaware of this article, that it is almost never used,” he said.

ROFIUDDIN