Sri Wahyuni, Yogyakarta – In a bid to stamp out corruption within the police force, a group of activists officially launched Thursday the Jogja Police Watch (JPW).

Held at the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute, the launch of the JPW was attended by representatives from the Yogyakarta Police Headquarters and Bantul Police.

"We don't want to create a conflict with the police. We just want to be a positive and critical partner to them," activist Sahlan Said, who is also a former judge, said at the launch.

The secretary general of the JPW, Irawadi Uska, said the group was established in response to growing public concern regarding the performance of the police force. The JPW is the first community institution to be established in Yogyakarta to specifically monitor the performance of the police.

"At first we will concentrate of monitoring traffic services, considering this seems to be a primary concern of the community," Irawadi said. Police responsible for the issuance of driving licenses and investigating traffic accidents will be among those initially monitored by the organization.

"JPW representatives will monitor police when they conduct unannounced license inspections and when they issue licenses, among other police activities," Irawadi said.

Dominikus Pardiyono from the Legal Unit of the Yogyakarta Police said the establishment of the JPW in Yogyakarta was a positive step. "I hope the JPW will be a good partner for us in our efforts to uphold the law in Indonesia in general but especially in Yogyakarta," he said.