Diana Mariska, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ombudsman revealed on Wednesday that the National Police was the third most complained about state institution after regional governments and the Education and Culture Ministry.
"Most of the complaints against the police were related to protracted procedures and uncertainty in legal proceedings. For example, it is often unclear when a [criminal] suspect would be interrogated or when a police summons would be delivered," Ombudsman member Adrianus Meliala said when announcing the findings in Jakarta.
The Ombudsman had surveyed all public service institutions to come up with the findings.
Aside from law enforcement, the National Police also run key public services related to the taxing of vehicles, such as issuing the vehicle registration certificate (STNK) and the vehicle ownership certificate (BPKP).
It is also the only state institution authorized to issue a driver's license, serving tens of thousands of applicants across the country every day.
In addition, more and more people are now submitting requests for police records since they need them to apply for jobs at government offices or state companies.
Adrianus said the police were ranked better in 2017 when the survey only accounted for services being rendered for the driver's license, STNK and BPKB.
The Ombudsman also revealed the police attracted negative public sentiment for their handling of violent street demonstrations in May following the announcement of the presidential election result.
"The police were criticized for using coercive means to disperse the mobs in some of the more violent demonstrations. That was unfortunate since people seemed to think they had made good preparations," Adrianus said.
Education Ministry Second only to regional administrations
Regional governments at both provincial and district levels garnered the most number of public complaints in the Ombudsman's survey, Adrianus said.
He said this was understandable since nearly all regional government departments have to deal with the public every day.
Adrianus offered the same reason for why the Education and Culture Ministry was the second most complained about state institution. "It's understandable considering the size of the ministry," Adrianus said.
"The fourth most complained about institution was the National Land Agency [BPN]. This is interesting because the agency only offers eight types of services, but they received one of the highest numbers of complaints," Adrianus said.
Most respected institutions
The Ombudsman gave its high compliance awards to the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry based on the survey, which was conducted from July to August this year.
Ombudsman chairman Amzulian Rifai said the survey was conducted to help reduce "maladministration" within the public service and assess the quality and effectiveness of government institutions.
The quality of service was measured using various measures, including the availability of lactation rooms at government offices and access for people with disabilities. Ombudsman members made unannounced visits to the offices and took photographs as evidence.