Province of Aceh Needs More Police
Friday, 02 June, 2006 | 13:03 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Aceh Regional Police Chief, Inspector General Bahrumsyah Kasman said the number of police in Aceh is insufficient. The current 9,100 police force is not equivalent with their job. Nevertheless, in the Presidential election, Aceh had 12,000 personnel guarding its security.
It is impossible to add to the Aceh Regional Police Force due to restrictions of the peace agreement with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). The agreement says the number of police may not exceed 9,100. “We try to empower the existing personnel,” said Bahrunsyah in Banda Aceh yesterday.

Bahrumsyah said, there are currently 3,000 cadets, who are still unable to be appointed police due to the agreement. Their status is apprentice at the Aceh Regional Police. However, this does not block the effort to establish security in Aceh because the police uphold the peace agreement.

According to Bahrumsyah, ten months after the peace agreement was signed in Helsinski, Finland, August 15, 2005, the crime rate including rape, murder, kidnapping, and shooting has decreased drastically. The number reached 91 percent from the previous rate.
However, criminal cases related to public disorder instead have increased by 372 percent compared to before the peace agreement. The cases included as public disorder are motorcycle theft, regular theft, and dangerous drug usage. “These cases have become records since the regional police was established,” he said.

According to Bahrumsyah, Aceh’s situation is different from the condition of other areas in Indonesia, especially since the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) was there to restore Aceh after the tsunami. For this requirement only, Aceh police assigned 2,217 personnel to secure BRR’s offices and facilities in twelve regencies or cities. Moreover, the implementation of Islamic canon law (syariat Islam) involves the police.

He said, the Aceh Regional Police has elevated the status of Banda Aceh City Subregional Police to be Large City Territorial Police. Gayo Lues, Aceh Tamiang, and Simeuleu City Police are prepared to be changed to Subregional Police. Ideally, the status elevation is balanced by the addition of personnel.

Bahrumsyah gave an example, Banda Aceh Large City Territorial Police must have 1,400 personnel, but now has only 894. “Although the number of personnel is minimum, we give security maximum to the Acehnese,” he said.

Adi Warsidi