Drug dealers routinely giving money to police officers demonstrates the institution’s systemic corruption. Comprehensive reform is needed.
CASE after case involving personnel of the National Police increasingly distances them from their motto to “protect and nurture.” Nothing has come of promises to make internal institutional reforms following previous scandals.
The case involving Adj. Sr. Comr. Didik Putra Kuncoro in a methamphetamine and ecstasy drug network is just the latest example of crime taking place within the police. The National Police Criminal Investigation Department named the former Chief of the Bima City Police in West Nusa Tenggara a suspect for receiving funds and illegal drugs from a dealer named Koko Erwin.
In this case, it appears that the police officer and the drug dealer were collaborating. The dealer was initially introduced to him by Adj. Comr. Malaungi, Chief of the Bima City Narcotics Investigation Unit. This officer, who should be leading the fight against narcotics, instead received a share of the drugs. The chain of command was transformed into a network of illegal drug dealers. The scandal further implicated Didik’s wife and former subordinates.
A similar pattern of crime was uncovered in North Toraja, South Sulawesi. The Chief of the Narcotics Investigation Unit there, Adj. Comr. Arifan Efendi and his subordinate received approximately Rp13 million from drug dealers on a weekly basis. The police have become “protectors and nurturers” of drug trafficking. The Profession and Security Division of the South Sulawesi Police has arrested both of them.
Some time ago, a similar scandal involved a high-ranking police officer: Insp. Gen. Teddy Minahasa. He was implicated in the illicit sale of drug evidence that was supposed to have been destroyed. The court sentenced the former West Sumatra Regional Police Chief to life imprisonment.
These incidents demonstrate that drugs have become a source of rent-seeking behavior within the police institution. Suspected payoffs to a district police chief, the introduction of a drug dealer by the chief of the narcotics investigation unit, and the practice of selling evidence demonstrate a power relationship that generates profits. Such abuse of authority appears to be growing.
The term “rogue,” often used to describe police officers who commit crimes, is misleading. When officials with enforcement authority are implicated in crime, the issue is no longer a matter of individual morality, but rather a matter of institutional governance. The scandal in Bima City—as well as in previous cases—represents corruption rooted in the system.
What distinguishes personal corruption from institutional corruption? In personal corruption, the perpetrator deviates from the system. In institutional corruption, the system actually creates space for deviance. The offender may be removed from his position, but the corrupt pattern persists.
Perpetuation of socially harmful drug trafficking is not the only impact of this. The legitimacy of the state is also continuously undermined, as the police hold the mandate to enforce the law. When police officers are involved in criminal networks, the line between the state and criminals becomes blurred. This is where comprehensive reform is needed within the National Police.
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