Combating police corruption in Indonesia: cleansing the buaya (crocodile)
Asian Education and Development Studies
ISSN: 2046-3162
Article publication date: 17 September 2019
Issue publication date: 31 March 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain why police corruption is rampant in Indonesia by analysing its perceived extent, causes and anti-corruption measures.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper relies on primary and secondary sources and survey data to analyse the perceived extent and causes of police corruption in Indonesia.
Findings
Police corruption is widespread in Indonesia because of the inadequate budget allocated to the police, police officers are paid low salaries and recruited and promoted on their ability to pay bribes instead of merit, corrupt police officers are not detected or punished and corrupt behaviour is tolerated by many Indonesians. Consequently, policy makers in Indonesia can only minimise police corruption if they have the political will and capacity to introduce appropriate reforms to address its five causes.
Originality/value
This paper will be useful to those scholars, policy makers and anti-corruption practitioners who are interested in learning about the extent and causes of police corruption in Indonesia and why efforts to curb it are ineffective.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Dr Roby Brata, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Indonesia for sending the author the presidential regulations on the basic salary scales and performance allowances of police officers in Indonesia.
Citation
Quah, J.S.T. (2020), "Combating police corruption in Indonesia: cleansing the
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited