Indonesian police's image in tatters as murder scandal widens

Suspended internal affairs chief Insp Gen. Ferdy Sambo arriving on Aug 4, 2022 at the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department in Jakarta for questioning. - Antara

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): Public faith in the National Police is believed to have hit a historic low, as the cover-up scandal in the murder of Brig. Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat allegedly at the hands of Insp. Gen. Ferdy Sambo widens into allegations of elite factionalism within the force and institutional complicity in the shadowy underworld of illegal gambling.

The police force has been mired in various scandals before, but the latest controversy — in which Ferdy, then the police’s internal affairs chief, allegedly masterminded Yosua’s killing and its cover up with the help of his own men and other police officials — has exposed the culture of violence and manipulation that has long plagued the force.