Whatever criticism, including this editorial, is directed toward the National Police, it cannot harm the credibility of the country's central law enforcement agency. The police are doing that job far better and more effectively than anyone else in destroying its reputation.
The late night visit by a number of officers to the headquarters of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Friday was the latest in a series of clear displays of arrogance and an exercise in raw intimidation. We seem to be getting a lot of that lately.
Police claim they were seeking to apprehend Novel Baswedan, a police officer seconded to the KPK, in connection with a crime he allegedly committed eight years ago as a junior officer in Bengkulu.
The siege was reminiscent of the rough ride given to the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in the first years following its establishment in 1974. Dozens of police officers stormed its headquarters in 1977 to disrupt the antigraft commission's probe into a drug cartel that was being protected by corrupt police officers.
Whether or not there is any truth in the allegation against Novel is irrelevant. Police arrived for Novel only hours after he led a KPK team to investigate Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, who is a suspect in a corruption scandal within the National Police. Djoko, who has been accused of taking massive kickbacks from the procurement of driving simulators when he headed the National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) in 2010, had twice defied KPK summons before he finally showed up for questioning on Friday.
Reports maintain that when searching the Korlantas offices for documentary evidence, Novel and his fellow KPK investigators also found evidence of larger graft cases which, if valid, will deal the police a much heavier blow.
Novel was also part of the KPK team responsible for the probe into alleged fraud involving former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin, his wife Neneng Sri Wahyuni and celebrity-turned-politician Angelina Sondakh, also from the Democratic Party, of which President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the chief patron.
As a senior officer in the National Police, Djoko clearly enjoys the support of his fellow officers. Since the case came to light last month, police have consistently tried to undermine the KPK investigation. They have also tried to withdraw 20 of their officers seconded to the KPK. Novel was one of five police officers who decided to stay put, at the risk of ruining their careers.
The late night visit to the KPK to pick up Novel was clearly an act of personal vendetta carried out by police on Djoko's behalf. Just to compound matters and as a sign of their incompetence, the police didn't even have the proper documents to arrest Novel.
It was heartening to see the spontaneous, massive outpouring of public support for the commission when news of the visit broke on Friday night. Activists immediately formed a human barricade to stop the police from forcing their way in to arrest Novel. Social media networks were abuzz with expressions of support and solidarity for the KPK, and condemnation of the police leadership.
Their slogan "Save the KPK, Save Indonesia" became a rallying cry on Twitter and Facebook. No one is suggesting disbanding the police, but President Yudhoyono should seriously consider replacing the leadership before the public loses complete trust in the institution.
One would far prefer our central law enforcers to train their guns on terrorists, criminals and those radicals who openly persecute religious minorities. Instead, however, they are getting better when it comes to shooting themselves in the foot. But then it's point-blank range; they can hardly miss.