It is a fact that Indonesia's police and judiciary are at the
very top of the world corruption league, period. Although
their corruption extends past minor civil rights violations
to human rights abuse even murder, BLTF only deals here with
what the tourist may likely encounter; a chance for bent police
officers to make a few bucks from them. Unfortunately such
petty extortion for a few dollars they can easily afford tends
to minimalize foreigners perceptions of the problem and of
the true extent and effect of corruption upon others.
Be assured, corrupt Balinese police officers ruin people's
lives, and therefore any self-respecting human being has a
duty to do something about it when they can; the problem is
what and how. The only people you can report police corruption
to in Indonesia are the Indonesian Corruption Commission who
turn any cases they believe have merit back to the police,
or you can complain to the chief of police for the appropriate
island themselves! So complaints are hardly ever or even never
acted upon. The other issue of course is what happens to anyone
who dares to report or otherwise stand up to police corruption
while they are actually on the island. Not least as paying
a police officer some "bribe" money is a criminal
offence, so a report of corruption also provides the police
with potential cause to arrest the complainant. But it is
possible to report corruption in such a way as to be effective
and without personal risk of retaliation or retribution; this
method is detailed at the end of the page.
First though, if a corrupt police officer tries to extort
money from you, it is poignant to understand two things;
1) A corrupt police officer will likely give you two choices;
go to court or pay a spot fine without receipt. If you go
to court you are unlikely to win because it is your word against
theirs and anyway, corrupt police collude with corrupt prosecutors
and judges. So by fighting a "spot fine" you will
only be increasing, greatly, the amount of time you spend
in the "company" of law enforcement [sic] officers
and also significantly increase the amount of money that will
eventually be taken from you. Even if you have evidence or
witnesses you are unlikely to win and may simply anger the
judge, who may hold you in contempt of court.
2) The moment if and when an alleged criminal offence becomes
very public (gets into the hands of the media or your consulate
/ embassy), the police and colluding judiciary will likely
no longer be willing to extort money / take bribe money from
you in order to make the problem go away. Therefore if you
are falsely accused of any offence through corruption and
you make the matter public by means of either your country's
consulate or the media while you are on the island, the corrupt
police and judiciary will not then be able to consider taking
money from you to let the problem go away and may well be
determined to teach you a lesson and "show" the
world they are legitimate [sic] by duly sentencing you.
Now let BLTF take you, a foreign tourist, through the acts
of corruption you are most likely to witness or become a victim
of.
The most common forms of police extortion is for alleged
traffic violations, often spurious; being told you did something
when you know full well you did not. A few dollars lighter
and then you are allowed to go on your way. Corrupt traffic
police are so brazen that even when they stop you at a check
point and you have all the correct documentation, they will
ask you for a donation! Watch out also for your poor driver
if you are not driving yourself. If he gets stopped by police
and they go and "chat" just out of view, the police
are most likely extorting money from him.
Road traffic accidents are a firm favorite with every day
Balinese police officers for obtaining larger sums of money
from tourists. The owner of BLTF was once driving along a
straight section of road at a steady safe speed and was hit
on the rear offside corner of his rental car by a speeding
motorcycle, stolen in Lombok, by two Javanese youths en route
to their own island and who were both high on drugs. They
sped along the nearside of the road coming from behind the
car and in a position where they could not see traffic coming
the other direction. They were going so fast and made such
a late exaggerated overtaking maneuver the bike clipped the
rear bumper of the car, bouncing them into the side of a truck
passing the other way, before bouncing them back into the
car's passenger door and finally crashing to the ground.
While waiting for the police, etc. to arrive a local pointed
an air rifle at the car and lorry driver warning them not
to try and escape, although they would already have both been
long gone if that were their intention. During the wait a
local bemo was used to cart the two injured young men off,
one of whom the car driver was sure would die due to his extensive
injuries. When the police arrived and surveyed the scene and
took verbal statements, they advised the car driver he was
lucky as he had a good accident; because the damage was at
the rear of his vehicle, he would be financially less liable.
The lorry driver who probably did not even see the motorbike
until it made its dramatic overtaking maneuver, was told he
had a bad accident because the accident damage was near the
front of his truck. That is how things work in Bali.
The lorry driver was given a police cell although apparently
/ allegedly he was not under official arrest. The car driver
was allowed to go to their local hotel pending the "crash
investigation". The next day both the truck and car driver
were taken miles to the hospital in which the young men had
been taken; actually the car driver was required to drive
the police officer and truck driver in their damaged vehicle
as the police were unwilling to use their own vehicles; BLTF's
owner subsequently found out this is common as the police
have to buy their own petrol / gasoline. The police made a
big deal about the fact that these two young men had no money
to pay for their treatment and transport home, so the truck
and car drivers would need to pay for their care and repatriation
to Java! Even though the young men were taking drugs and on
a stolen bike, they were apparently not arrested or detained
over this. In hindsight the car driver realizes this was probably
because they had no money for the police to extort from them.
Afterwards the car and truck driver along with the police
officer had to go back to the police station and over days
a settlement cost was finally negotiated to allow the car
and lorry driver to go about their business; the lorry driver
had to wait as a "guest" of the police for his boss
to drive from Java to pay the settlement. All the time money
was discussed the police officers made mention of the car
driver's nice watch, how rich foreigners were and how little
money this all was for him. The settlement was not paid to
the hospital however but to the senior police officer's assistant.
The process took 3 days out of the car driver's holiday and
cost him US$250 (they originally asked for US$3000) with the
police and a further US$200 with the car rental company; they
demanded US$500, but had originally agreed to just US$100
excess and yet still wanted more for the trouble this had
caused them. It is not known how much the truck driver had
to pay nor how what percentage if any of the money taken by
the police actually went to the hospital or injured men.
Also, be warned, some poor foreigners have reported they
stopped to help victims of other people's accidents and were
themselves then blamed because they were there and foreign
and therefore probably had insurance and / or could afford
it.
Alleged drugs possession and public disorder offences come
next, and yes, victims do often say drugs found on them were
planted there. We have credible reports of people being caught
with marijuana on them having to pay thousands of dollars
in police bribe money to make the problem go away. Foreigners
with homes in and / or connections with Bali can expect to
pay more than tourists; we understand as much as US$45,000
for being caught with personal use narcotics. Of course even
this amount is likely preferable to 10 or 15 years in an Indonesian
jail for possession and use of narcotics. With the fact that
dealers sit along Bali's main tourist thoroughfares in large
numbers seemingly clearly with the knowledge and co-operation
of police, planted drugs may well be something that happens
frequently.
OK, so you witness or are exposed to corrupt police activities,
what should you do? First understand if you do nothing, you
need to hold your head in shame and think about how lucky
you are in comparison with the poor everyday people of Bali
who get abused. Clearly it is better for you to pay the "fine"
and be on your way as soon as possible without inviting any
trouble, and that is what BLTF recommends you therefore do.
But while you are being extorted or are aware of your driver
being extorted, make a note of the exact time, the location
and the police officer's name (they all wear name badges).
Then when you leave Bali send a letter to the chief of police
for Bali, the Indonesian Corruption Commission and your country's
consulate in Bali or embassy in Indonesia.
The letter needs to be properly addressed (with a valid reply
address for you AND your email address) and say this (assuming
you were the victim) (the chief of police speaks / reads English
and the Indonesian Corruption Commission take complaints in
English);
Dear General Pastika (Chief of Police)
I was fined (amount) rupiah by officer (name) at (time) on
(date) at (location) for allegedly (offence). I wanted to
contest the alleged offence as (reason), but did not want
to ruin my holiday by having to go to court in Denpasar and
without any material evidence as a judge would probably not
be able to take my word over that of a police officer; so
I paid the fine. However afterwards I realized the officer
had not given me a receipt as I believe is required of him.
When I returned home from Bali it was suggested to me that
the officer had in fact stopped me with no good reason in
order to extort money from me for himself. I am shocked if
this is true so can you please therefore take this letter
as either;
a) My request to be given a receipt for the money paid to
the police officer; please give the receipt to my country's
consulate / embassy (delete as applicable) at (their address)
- I have copied them in this letter so they are aware, or
b) If there is no record of my fine, please will you accept
this as my complaint about the police officer's conduct and
launch an immediate investigation into the matter. Although
I do not believe it could be possible that a police officer
would dare do such a thing, I have copied this letter to the
Indonesian Corruption Commission in case it is true so they
can also investigate. If I subsequently receive through my
embassy / consulate a receipt for the fine you will of course
get my personal apology for even suggesting corruption in
the first place and I would of course then also write to the
corruption commission advising them the matter has been resolved
and was not one of corruption.
Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi; please provide me with a complaint
reference number so I can refer to this with you again.
General Pastika: If there is a record of my fine, please
can you let my consulate / embassy has a copy so they can
notify me of the fact. But if there is no official record
of my fine, please provide me with an investigation case number
against this officer under my complaint.
Please reply one way or another either directly to me or
to my consulate / embassy; I have provided my email address
above so they can easily and quickly contact me regarding
this.
Yours sincerely
(your signature)
You then need to send this letter, registered delivery to
both the Balinese police chief and the Indonesian Corruption
Commission, with a copy to your embassy or consulate in Indonesia
(it is not necessary to send the later by registered mail).
The addresses are as follows;
Irjen. Polisi Made Mangku Pastika
Kapolda Bali
Jl. W.R. Supratman No.7
Denpasar - Bali 80233
Indonesia
Drs. H. Taufiequrachman Ruki, SH
Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi
Jl. Veteran III No. 2
Jakarta 10110
Indonesia
If you witnessed but did not suffer corruption, you should
be able to construct an appropriate letter bases on the above.
By doing it this way you are ensuring you can not be accused
of either bribing or defaming a police officer. If enough
foreign tourist victims of police corruption in Bali send
such letters, the authorities will have to do something; Indonesia
is one huge bureaucracy and each letter has to be noted, passed
to the correct officer, a case created, filed and even sometimes
responded to (though don't bank on it). The volume of administrative
work from properly made complaints by foreign victims of police
corruption in Bali would drown them in paperwork if every
victim did their bit. And by involving your country's embassy
or consulate, you are both protecting yourself and making
them aware of what is going on; of course they know already,
but official letters require more action on their part.
A few minutes work and a little postage money can help to
make a big difference for both fellow travellers and the poor
everyday Balinese. Conversely, if you have read this page
and then witness or become a victim of extortion by Balinese
police and do nothing, the next time tourists are killed by
terrorist bombs on Bali, and / or the next ex-judicial killing
happens on Bali, and / or the next civil or human rights violation
that occurs on Bali, and / or when you next see an impoverished
Balinese (it is a fact corruption causes economic misery),
etc. BLTF hopes you will look in the mirror and know your
inaction played a part, no matter how small, in someone else's
demise.
At this time we have not been made aware of a pronounced
law enforcement corruption problem on Lombok, except by token
of reports that Indonesia as a whole has the worst judicial
corruption in the world.
It is not just corrupt police in Bali that negatively affects
decent people's lives, it is also the much maligned and often
very nasty business community, and that means Bali
Hotels, Bali Villas and Bali
Travel Agents / Tour Operators.
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