Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – Amid a slew of reports of civilians being abused by the police, experts say the Jakarta Police should implement human rights standards in their work procedures and improve their education system to curtail human rights violations.

Jakarta Legal Aid Institute director Nurkholis Hidayat said the most crucial step in preventing violence and abuse of power by the police was for the House of Representatives to revise the Criminal Code.

The revised code should be in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, he added. "It's up for legislation, so the House should deliberate it soon," Nurkholis said.

The Jakarta Police came under fire recently after officers assaulted University of Indonesia historian and researcher J.J. Rizal, in Beji, Depok, after claiming to have mistaken him for a drug dealer. The three Beji Police officers have been demoted following a disciplinary hearing.

Another case that surfaced recently was the random shooting of 15-year-old M. Rifky by a Koja Police officer in Sunter, North Jakarta. The boy was only treated for gunshot wounds three months later.

The Jakarta Police's internal affairs division will hold a disciplinary hearing next week for the officer and question the former Koja Police chief and chief detective.

The boy said the officer had taken him to a secluded part of Sunter and ordered him to get out of the car and run. Rifky said the officer then shot him and placed him in detention on the pretext Rifky had resisted arrest.

Despite having separated from the military in 2000, the reform of the police force has been slow and has shown little significant progress.

University of Indonesia security expert Bambang Widodo Umar said the police still used a militaristic and repressive approach in carrying out their job. "They should take a more humane approach and uphold the rule of law," he said.

He added the force's education system was still very militaristic. "Any curriculum that teaches destructive behavior should be changed," Bambang said, pointing out the example that cadets' training involved the maiming of a dummy.

"These approaches should be cut back," he said. "The police should be educated more on crime scene investigations and how to help people."

Bambang added it was important to recruit those with a strong sense of altruism rather than aggression. "They should recruit people with a strong urge to help others," he said.

He also said the police should hire an independent organization to carry out the recruitment process, to cut out corruption.

The National Police issued a decree on the implementation of human rights in the police force earlier this year. Nurkholis said the decree should be incorporated in standard procedures in police work.

The public should also report and take legal action against any abuse of power by the police that they experience, Nurkholis said.

"There are plenty of organizations that provide advocacy," he said. "The public should be brave in fighting abuse of power by the police."

The police say they are taking stern action against offending officers. A National Police internal report shows 279 officers have been discharged this year, down from 252 last year.

A total of 5,464 disciplinary cases have been investigated by the internal affairs division, a significant decrease from last year's figure of 7,035 cases.