After much speculation and rumor, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani was replaced after only 22 months in office, handing over his command to Insp. Gen. Adang Firman on Wednesday.

Transfers and shuffles are common among government officials and military and police forces. But Gani's replacement is noteworthy because he was Jakarta Police chief for such a relatively short time.

Gani was appointed top cop in the capital July 16, 2004, replacing Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara. It is normal for police and military officers in certain key positions to stay in those positions for at least three years. Makbul Padmanagara was installed as head of the Jakarta Police on Dec. 19, 2001, being replaced by Gani, who moved over from leading the East Java Police, three years later, in July 2004.

There have been rumors that the change in leadership at Jakarta Police Headquarters has to do with the shifting power at National Police Headquarters. Gani was seen as an ally of former National Police chief Gen. Dai Bachtiar, which did him no good when Dai was replaced by Gen. Sutanto.

Others have speculated the real reason for Gani's replacement was his failure to curb thuggery and violence by hard-line religious and ethnic groups.

Gani, who began his career as a member of the police's elite Mobile Brigade, also is seen by some observers as having failed to tackle gambling in the capital. After taking over the post, Gani seemed unwilling or unable to do anything about gambling. It was only when Gen. Sutanto, soon after taking over the National Police, began beating the antigambling drum, were there any noticeable efforts to shut down gambling dens here in Jakarta.

Going by the numbers, the Jakarta Police in 2005 did not have a good year. According to police data, the number of homicides rose from 60 in 2004 to 71 in 2005, and robberies increased from 7,402 to 7,658 in the same period.

Gani also failed to deliver on his promise to eliminate thuggery in the city, with his initiative to crack down on street crime resulting in the apprehension of only 240 suspects.

He also did not live up to his promise to deal firmly with the criminals responsible for the frequent violent raids on nightspots. As many observers predicted, the police would not or could not deal with individuals and organizations responsible for vandalizing cafes, bars and other nightspots.

A more recent example of the police failing to stand firm against criminals occurred when participants of a rally opposing the controversial pornography bill were harassed by supporters of the bill. Gani's response to the incident was disappointing. He did not take seriously complaints from actresses and human rights activists who claimed that they were verbally assaulted by bill supporters. Gani, in fact, was rather flippant, saying he would have to consult language experts about the definitions of the expletives allegedly used against the bill opponents.

This caused great concern among the people and eroded public trust in the police. The attack on the editorial office of Playboy Indonesia magazine was also seemingly "condoned" by the police, which failed to make a single arrest despite the presence of scores of eyewitnesses to the vandalism.

Though controversial, Playboy is a legal publication. And even if the courts ruled it was illegal, the police still should have prevented the mob from taking the law into its own hands. These blatant acts of violence and vandalism, and the seeming gross ignorance on the part of the police with regard to the groups responsible for the violence, have caused worry among other law enforcement agencies and ministries, and has prompted the Cabinet to address the issue.

The capital Jakarta, which is a fast-growing and dynamic city, needs a tough police force with creative and firm leadership.

The fact that the Jakarta Police command is short of personnel, funds and equipment should not used as an excuse for failing to act firmly and promptly against all criminals. Such shortcomings should instead prompt the police to improve their cooperation and networking with other groups in the campaign against violence.

Jakartans do hope that the new Jakarta Police chief, Adang Firman, will have the courage and direction to fight all forms of violence and thuggery, including violence committed by ethnic and religious groups. After all, he promised when taking over from Gani that vandalism and thuggery were on the top of his priority list.