JAKARTADAILY.ID – The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia, the state institution responsible for overseeing public services provided by state and government administrators, has raised concerns and criticized the National Police's decision to reinstate manual traffic fines.
Johanes Widijantoro, a member of the Indonesian Ombudsman, highlighted that the reintroduction of manual tickets could potentially lead to maladministration and was a step backward.
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"The re-implementation of manual fines has the potential for maladministration because it involves direct interaction between violators and officers. This contradicts the objective of the Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement (ETLE), which aims to reduce such interaction during the ticketing process to prevent irregularities," stated Johanes during his activities in Ambon City on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
Furthermore, Johanes expressed that the reintroduction of manual fines represented a setback in the initial goal of modernizing the police force's approach to handling traffic violators through the implementation of ETLE. ETLE is also a response to the Police 4.0 era, a priority program led by the Chief of Police.
Johanes expressed regret over the reasons cited for reintroducing manual fines, such as the limited coverage of ETLE cameras, the presence of blind spots, and the restricted procurement budget for ETLE.
"These limitations should serve as a driving force to accelerate and improve the ETLE system itself," he remarked.
In addition, Johanes pointed out that the budget allocated for ETLE, which had been planned, reviewed, and implemented, would appear to have been wasted if manual ticketing was reintroduced. He emphasized that this could also contribute to maladministration.
"The reintroduction of manual fines should not give the impression that the ETLE system is a trial-and-error program and a waste of budget. Ultimately, this may diminish public trust in the Police," he added.
Johanes further suggested that the National Police Headquarters, particularly the Traffic Police Headquarters, conduct a comprehensive review and consider the original purpose behind the implementation of ETLE before rushing to reintroduce manual fines due to existing weaknesses in the system.
As an external supervisory agency, the Indonesian Ombudsman had previously conducted studies on the implementation of ETLE and provided input and suggestions for enhancing the system.
Therefore, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia will monitor the recommendations that have been conveyed, as it falls within their duties and authorities as stated in Article 7 in conjunction with Article 8 of Law Number 37 of 2008 concerning the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia.
It is worth noting that the Metro Jaya Regional Police announced the reinstatement of manual ticketing in the Jakarta area. This decision was prompted by instructions from the National Police Headquarters in Telegram Letter No. ST/380/IV.HUK.6.2/2023 dated May 16, 2023, signed by Kakorlantas Polri.
