This is a series of blog post about a Communication Plan Proposal that I made in order to get a certificate in Strategic Issues Management from Edith Cowan University. To get a better understanding about this, please start reading from the first post of the series.
Strategic Issues Management: The Indonesian National Police (POLRI) Image Restoration Program:
- Part 1: Introduction and book cover
- Part 2: Table of Contents, Executive Summary, Chapter 1: Background
- Part 3: Chapter II: Issue Identification, Chapter III: Related Organization
- Part 4: Chapter IV: Identifying The Public, Chapter V: Potential Lifecycle of The Issue
- Part 5: Chapter VI: Communication Plan (Problems of POLRI, Situation Analysis)
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Chapter VI : COMMUNICATION PLAN
6.1 Problems of POLRI
The Indonesian people opinion is that POLRI officers are dishonest
especially about crime committed by the police. As a consequence
accomplishment made by POLRI seems to be overlook and the number of police
crime can further escalate which makes more people become a victim.
6.2 Situation Analysis
POLRI inherited
a military style culture from their previous ties with the Indonesian National
Army during the authoritarian rule of President Soeharto. This has affected
their ways in doing things and seen by the people as arrogant, repressive and
brutal. People do not have high
confidence in POLRI as a law enforcement and civic institution as according
to their function in Indonesia new era of democracy reformation. Many people have had a bad experience directly with the police
especially on the street which leave them in a traumatic state and difficult to
forget. These includes bribery, extortion (or called ‘premanisme’ by the Indonesians), corruption and mafia-like
operation including drug dealing and even assassination as in the issue of
Chief Commissioner Wiliardi Wizar. This
creates a negative impact as seen by the bad publicity in the media. Contrary
to POLRI’s job which is to protect and serve, the people do not feel safe and secure about the police. They are
hesitant to ask the police for help worrying that they will be ask for money.
In 2008, the
total crime case involving a police was 391. This was a 40% increase compare to
the year 2007 with a total of 234 cases. POLRI has made a number of
accomplishments in major cases such as the fight against terrorism and fighting
conventional crimes. They also have a restructuring program to improve their
institution called the Trust
Building program. This program aims to improve public service, internal
restructuring and fighting conventional crime. However, these accomplishments can easily
be forgotten when another police crime occurs. POLRI’s reputation is considered negative as mention in the media as
publicize during their anniversary, July 1st 2009. In an Indonesian TV program called John Pantau by TransTV
and Snapshot by MetroTV, people have seen police officer breaking the law such
as extortion and breaking traffic laws. These
kinds of publicity further reinforce people’s negative opinion about the police.
Photo
6.1: Chief Commissioner Wiliardi Wizar
Besides POLRI inherited
military culture, part of the problem that POLRI has regarding police crime can
be because of their low salary, nationally under staff, unprofessional and lacking moral values. An example of a police crime can be
seen in the case of Wiliardi Wizar, a Chief Commissioner of the Indonesian
National Police (POLRI). Wiliardi, a high ranking officer, is a suspect in the
murder case of Nasrudin Zulkarnaen and is under investigation because he took
part in the murder as the person to find and hire a group of assassin. News about officer Wiliardi’s case was
covered by the mainstream media and placed as the main news which further
destroys POLRI’s reputation. These kinds of publicity further generalize
people’s opinion about a typical police officer. POLRI quick investigation of
this murder case which leads to the arrest of all the suspects seems overlook
by the media as an accomplishment of POLRI in doing their job.
To
summarize this situation based on the writers’ analysis of the environment, POLRI
is seen by the public as corrupt and brutal. Media publicity reflects the
people negative image about POLRI and further crystallizes their perception
especially in the issue of Chief Commisioner Wiliardi Wizar, which does more
damage. POLRI are making progress in their work but these accomplishments is
easily forgotten when another foul play by a police staff reappears in the
media. As a result, this makes people seems to forget that POLRI is an
institution that belongs to the public which the people should also help and
support to overcome these problems. Negative opinions makes the people put more
distance between themselves and POLRI. This in turn can also make POLRI
distancing themselves from the people and makes the problem even worse.
