The Urgency of Police Accountability

The Urgency of Police Accountability

By David Raja Marpaung S.Ip M.Def

Accountability of government institutions is a very important aspect in the system of governance based on democracy and good governance. To carry out its duties, the police as "independent" government organizations are given the budget derived from the tax payers. Is a natural thing when citizens are demanding accountable use of the budget is done efficiently and effectively. Police accountability covering all aspects of policing activities, covering all aspects such as the behavior of members, policiesand policing strategies, the appointment procedure in the office,until the financial management open to scrutiny

One important difference between policing in democratic countries with autocratic country is the problem of police accountability and transparency over all policing activities. This level of accountability in turn will affect the legitimacy of the police in the eyes of the public. In contrast to the authoritarian state police, police accountability in a democracy, made ​​to various institutions. Accountability is an important element in democratic policing.

Police accountability involves two aspects: first, the operationsand police services. Society demanded that the police services provided effectively and the resources allocated to police being used efficiently.

Second, the behavior of members of the police in carrying outthe task. Society demanded that the police behave properly in carrying out his duties. Behavior of members of the police is veryimportant for citizens dealing with the police, especially peoplebelonging to vulnerable groups such as seniors, the poor, andwomen. Accountability here is not only demanded that the police acted lawfully, but also that police treat people humanely

Police accountability is generally based on a desire to prevent the misuse of police powers, to protect the rights and freedoms of the people, so that the police work in accordance with the law, and that there is oversight of police activities.

Parliament to implement strict controls over the police through legislation, the determination of the annual budget of the Police,the appointment of Chief of Police, and through various working meetings with the Chief of Police, especially the HouseCommission III. Working meeting with the Parliament House in the era of reform is much more entensif than ever before. While the parties argue that the House tends to frequent working meetings will negatively affect the performance and the neutrality of the police. At the Police and local Police and Head of the Regional House of Representatives have a mechanism of accountability relationship with the local police chief although still not firmly institutionalized.

The issue has been the problem of the status of the police chief directly under the President. There is a perception that the statepolice chief who thus incompatible with the principles of democracy. Fact which emerges is that while the military compared with that with the Department of Defense should be balanced by placing the police under a particular Ministry.

Operational Accountability of Police carried out in stages internally police organizations ranging from leading members,unit leaders / teams, police chief, police chief, police chief, and so on until the Chief of Police. Besides, there is accountability ofthe police set out in various laws and regulations. Criminal Justice System, Criminal Procedure Code, and various other regulations set the operational accountability of the Police to theCriminal Justice System, Prosecution, and Courts. At the level of Regional  and district, the local parliament and head of the Local may request the local police chief and police chief to explain things in the field of policing. To further strengthen police accountability in local government areas should contribute to support operational policing, especially against a variety of local priorities.

In order to reform the police as accountable institution, there are several choice related the body that will oversight police operation:

First, the oversight agency with full investigative authority that is where all citizen complaints against the behavior of members will be received and investigated by oversight agencies. Institutionswill hire its own investigators who are not members of the police. In this form the absence of involvement of police officers are expected to be more effective and improve public confidence in the results of the investigation.

Second, the oversight agency with limited authority that is authorized to conduct investigations into specific cases. Criteria for cases investigated by the oversight agency is usually the hard cases like the death of a person in custody or other police activities. Investigations are also done in terms of actual real-olepolice investigation was problematic.

Third, oversight agencies are only receiving public complaints,while the investigation of citizen complaints was carried out by the units own internal police and then reported to the oversight agency. Environment of police oversight over the handling of citizen complaints conducted by the Police and national police commission as external agencies.