Police programs on local tv

[Euc-]

There are several programs on local tv channels that follow various police squads/departments. Sometimes they follow detectives investigating murder cases, other times drug busts etc, I find it quite interesting actually.

However i noticed an increase number of cases where the various, oftentimes heavily armed, squads such as “tim jaguar” etc seemingly randomly stop motorbike riders or people simply chilling at a warung and start to investigate them. They surround the person(s), in a quite intimidating way, and pretty much immediately start patting them down, force the persons to give them access to their mobile phones and sometimes even subject them to urine tests.

Does anyone know the legalities of this? Is it legal for them to randomly stop people without any real indication of wrong doing, force them to cooperate with pad downs, go through their mobile phones, whatsapp chats, private pictures etc?

Lets say this happens to me, what would be the consequence of not cooperating? Refusing to give access to our phone etc?

 

[harryopal1]

I think it would be most unwise not to co-operate. Polite behaviour would serve better than trying to assert presumed rights which may not exist here. More concerning is the apparent police notion that it is for them to punish offenders. An awful lot of drug, dealers, thieves or others arrested of serious crimes seem to get either shot in the leg or have heavily bandaged legs. Not to mention the prejudicial process of being made to confess for TV. Then the ironic contrast between videos showing uniformed police fining people for not wearing helmets, while another programme shows drug squad and other special police arresting people and off they all go on motorcycles with neither police or the arrested wearing helmets.

 

[Euc-]

What is smart or not in that situation isn't my question, I’m purely talking from a legal point of view.

 

[harryopal1]

Whatever your theoretical rights, refusing to give access to your phone would have the police treat you as a "smart arse". But it is an interesting question and I would also like to know what the theoretical rights are in this situation.

 

[jstar]

In fact the traffic razzia's are very well defined by law. It is clear what they need to do when they stop vehicles for ad hoc checks. (Assignment letter, sign 50 meters in front of checkpoint, etc.)

Also for criminal investigations there are very detailed rules and regulations, for instance this one on criminal action management:

http://ditjenpp.kemenkumham.go.id/arsip/bn/2012/bn686-2012.pdf

Rather interesting document and it describes rather well what they need to prepare in case of investigations.

The problem is of course, when they talk in the above peraturan in certain sections about 'preliminary evidence' and 'difficult cases' for the grey areas in which there are indications of criminal behavior and they expect something is not kosher on an ad-hoc basis.

I won't say it gives them carte blanche but it does open the door for arbitrariness.

 

[snpark]

I guess they make you do 10 push ups like everyone else
Remember it is only TV

 

[jstar]

you do 10 push ups like everyone else

Or declaim the shalawat (cf. in Soppeng) to avoid a fine.

it is only TV

Luckily I'm not black otherwise I would be tasered every time they stop me in the US.
.

 

[harryopal1]

Tasered in the US as a black American? Wow, lucky. It could have been tasered, beaten and shot.

 

[Dharma Police]

Like all reality tv I'm sure it's scripted. As far as police brutality, the only way that'd happen to a foreigner or someone with money is if you antagonized them. If you do decide to talk trash, start by shouting "Lu tau nggak siapa bapak gue?!". That'll show that you're a hardcore gangster and not to be messed with.

 

[snpark]

I'm faintly addicted to 86 and "The Police" but all they seem to do is catch kids with no helmets on scooters and raid kiosks for that dodgy red wine
Occassionally there is some interesting stuff like when they raid a bule place and make them all pee hahaha or go into the kampung to catch someone with 0.05g of shabu and then everyone running across fields shooting their crappy pistols into the air with no regard at all for safety. Or the raids with no search warrant and everyone shouting as if to assert their rank. Followed by a press conference where 100 people all trying to get into the camera to claim credit hahahaha

The worst is the one Jatanras with the guy sitting on a fake Harley looking in the wrong camera and then pointing and shouting something. Now they have a girl who does the identical same thing. So terrible.