Jakarta – Jakarta will have a new police chief on Tuesday, but doubts linger over whether the incoming chief is capable of making the breakthroughs needed to secure the capital city, which is now rife with thuggery, gun violence and chronic traffic woes.

The National Police have appointed West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Putut Eko Bayuseno to replace Insp. Gen. Untung S. Radjab as Jakarta Police chief. The inauguration ceremony will be held on Tuesday.

Bambang Widodo Umar, a former police officer who teaches at the University of Indonesia, said that Putut, like his predecessor, was not known as an officer with notable achievements.

"It is very possible that the new police chief was picked to protect the President and that could go against the spirit of serving the public interest," he said.

Putut served as President Bambang Yudhoyono's adjutant during his first term from 2004 to 2009. After that, he served as the Jakarta Police deputy chief between 2009 and 2011 before being briefly assigned as Banten Police chief following a fatal attack on Ahmadiyah followers in the province.

Then Banten Police chief Brig. Gen. Agus Kusnadi was dismissed for his failure to prevent the Feb. 6, 2011 mob attack that left three Ahmadis dead.

Putut served as police chief in Banten for three months only and later in May was appointed as chief in West Java, where intimidation against Ahmadiyah members continued, with the latest incident occurring a day before the announcement of his Jakarta assignment.

On Thursday night, members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) attacked an Ahmadi mosque in Bandung in West Java and attempted to prevent the congregation from observing Idul Adha, the Islamic Day of Sacrifice.

Bambang said that Jakarta needed a police chief who could make breakthroughs to address the plethora of problems plaguing the city. "He should be like Jokowi," he said, referring to the new Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo.

Jakarta is facing various security challenges. In the past few years, the city has seen a spike in gun violence, robberies targeting minimarkets, rape cases and violent brawls involving mass organizations. The city also has yet to find creative solutions to help ease traffic woes.

Weak law enforcement and alleged corruption within the police force has been blamed for the failure to make Jakarta safer as well as to address the city's traffic problems.

Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) director Nurkholis Hidayat said the new city police chief needed to gain public trust by eradicating corruption within the institution and upholding transparency.

Otho Hernowo Hadi, a University of Indonesia sociologist, said the police should improve their service, especially in curbing crime.

He added that the police should be able to engage the public in securing the city in preventive measures against crime. "Preventing crime is essential," he said.

On Sunday, Putut said he was ready to work with Jokowi, who is an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician. "In line with regulations, I will create synergy with the senior local official to provide the best service to society," he said. (nad/fzm)