NORTH SUMATRA POLICE: NEW SENSITIVITY TO HUMAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 012787 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2016 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KJUS ID SUBJECT: NORTH SUMATRA POLICE: NEW SENSITIVITY TO HUMAN RIGHTS Classified By: POLOFF SANJAY RAMESH FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The Head of Police Intelligence for North Sumatra, Herman Effendi, described the Indonesian police as increasingly focused on human rights during an Oct.3 meeting in Medan. He attributed this positive development partly to widespread human rights training that has reached the lowest levels of the force. He said Indonesian police were also implementing ambitious public outreach activities to make people aware of their rights. As proof of police commitment to human rights, he pointed to the phenomena of arrests and punishment of police personnel. End Summary. ¶2. (C) During an October 3 trip to Medan, Poloff called on the Head of Police Intelligence for North Sumatra, Herman Effendi, to discuss the police perspective on human rights. Effendi, a native of Medan, has been a reliable source of information on police issues. He told Poloff us that the Indonesian police were operating under a "new paradigm" which included a deeper understanding of and respect for human rights. He said the Indonesian police realized that maintenance of law and order could not come at the expense of human rights, a vast change in attitude from previous years. ¶3. (C) In part, Effendi attributed this change in attitude to widespread training of police personnel in human rights, adding that human rights training extended down to the lowest levels of the force. In fact, every member of the police force carries a pocket book with "field guidance on human rights." In this context, Effendi noted that many police officials in North Sumatra had attended human rights training offered by the U.S. Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), and that this training influenced their performance. ¶4. (C) Effendi told us that human rights training directly impacted police tactics at the operating level. For example, the North Sumatra police now have a special wing tasked with addressing mass demonstrations. These troops are armed with guns that fire only rubber bullets. As another example of changed police attitudes, he said North Sumatra police recently invited members of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas Ham) to engage in talks. Also, the North Sumatra police meet regularly with members of local NGOs and the local parliament to talk about human rights. In separate discussions, local NGOs in Medan characterized relations with the police as generally good. ¶5. (C) In addition to human rights training, Effendi said the Indonesian police were also actively pursuing a public outreach program to educate the public about their rights under the law. For example, the North Sumatran police's ambitious public outreach program included encouraging community policing, holding town halls, and establishing a "women's wing" to hear complaints by women. These programs focused on giving the public information on their rights as well as on legal procedures for seeking justice if police violate their rights. Separately, local NGOs focused on women's rights praised the establishment and functioning of the women's wing. ¶6. (C) Effendi said it was increasingly common punish police accused of criminal behavior or human rights violations. In North Sumatra, he said that year-to-date, over 36 police had been prosecuted for crimes such as drug dealing or stealing. This, along with increasingly common national trials in which high level police officers were punished for criminal acts or corruption, deterred lower level police from committing such acts. ¶7. (C) Effendi also said the Professional and Security Division of the Indonesian Police (Propam) played an increasingly active role as a watchdog over police professionalism, police ethics, and police discipline. He said any allegation of police brutality would lead to a Propam investigation. Also, the Police Commission in Jakarta, which consists of police leaders, academics, and other prominent members of society, played an important role in advising the police on human rights. This Commission had not yet extended to the provincial level. PASCOE