TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) claims they recorded 643 incidents of violence involving police personnel from June of 2018 up to May 2019.

The commission’s coordinator Yati Adriyani said that the death toll of the entire recorded cases amounted to 651 deaths, 247 injured, and 856 arrested.

“This finding is based on civilian reports as a part of our participation to uphold the accountability of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) institution in performing their tasks,” said Yati on Monday.

KontraS says that police often arm themselves with lethal sharp weapons, high-handedly use their discretion, and also lack of discipline in police’s internal and external supervisory entities.

According to Yati, the misuse of discretion includes using a police personnel’s personal judgment upon handling violators which end in violence.

“In practice and in the field, their use of authority is not measurable and in the verge of authoritarian that has even caused losses of lives,” said Yati. As for police internal supervisory entities, Yati says that they all lack transparency toward the public and is weak in performing its corrective function.

The police institution is also criticized for its use of instruments of violence and firearms. The commission’s data revealed 423 cases of shootings that caused 229 deaths and 435 injuries since June 2018 up to May 2019.

ANDITA RAHMA

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