Suherdjoko, Semarang – The National Police have uncovered at least nine cases of fraud that took place during the screening of recruits for the Police Academy in Semarang, Central Java.

The cases reportedly implicate police officers stationed in West Java, West Sumatra and Southeast Sulawesi, Insp. Gen. Arief Sulistyanto, human resources assistant to the National Police chief, said on Wednesday.

One case reportedly occurred in Bengkulu, implicating a former police officer who was sacked during service, while two other cases were uncovered in Ambon and allegedly masterminded by civilians.

All of the suspects, Arief said, had convinced both applicants and parents into paying a certain amount of money in exchange for a spot at the Police Academy. "[The perpetrators] are now facing criminal charges," Arief said.

A selection committee has picked 376 candidates out of the 5,000 applicants from across the country for this year's class. Only 250 applicants will eventually become cadets.

"We now aim to prevent such cases from occurring during the advanced selection phase," Arief said. (afr/ipa)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/07/05/police-recruitment-marred-by-fraud.html