Roles, duties and functions of the Indonesian National Police Attaché
Or Liaison Officer [1]
By
Eko SUDARTO[2]
Introduction
The relationship between the Government of
the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand in 2014 has
entered the age of 64[3]. Both ASEAN founding countries have felt the need to
expand and strengthen
cooperation, so as to bring changes for the better and mutually beneficial. It is recognized that the development of science and technology today not only brings positive
impact, but also the negative impact that raises its own
challenges, in particular the
problems of transnational crime.
It requires seriousness in developing cooperative relationships
in the field of security
and law enforcement, in particular for the police cooperation
between two countries.
The Indonesian Foreign Policy aims to participate maintaining world peace
by sending Indonesia
Police Personnel in various field of missions under the United Nations, a humanitarian mission to
disaster-stricken countries, also by deploying several
liaison officers (Indonesia
National Police Attaché) throughout
its representation in the world. And the deployment
of Indonesia police personnel in
the Kingdom of Thailand is the seriousness of the Government of Republic
Indonesia in the bilateral
relations.
This paper written intends to meet the demands of the CPG (German-Southeast Asian
Center of Excellence for Public
Policy and Good Governance)
for providing a snapshot of the author as the 4th Indonesia National
Police attaché or Police Liaison
Officer for the Kingdom of Thailand in
the period of 2011 to 2014.
Background
One of the fundamental principles of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as enshrined in the Bangkok Declaration of 8 August 1967 was "strengthening the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations." ASEAN policies, plans, strategies and activities revolve around this principle.
ASEAN founding fathers aware that globalization, technological advancement and greater mobility of people and resources across national borders, transnational crime has become increasingly pervasive, diversified and organized. The ASEAN region has to deal with many new forms of organized crimes that transcend national borders and political sovereignty such as terrorism, new types of drug abuse and trafficking, innovative forms of money laundering activities, arms and peoples smuggling, trafficking in women and children, piracy and other massive model of crimes.
Recognizing the urgency to tackle transnational crimes from the regional dimension, the Philippines hosted the inaugural meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Interior/Home Affairs on Transnational Crimes on 20 December 1997 in Manila. The highlight of the meeting was the signing of the ASEAN Declaration on Transnational Crimes by the Ministers. The Declaration also established the basic framework for regional cooperation on fighting transnational crime. Accordingly, the ASEAN Ministers Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) was to convene once in every two years to coordinate activities of relevant bodies such as the ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD) and annual meeting on the ASEAN Chiefs of National Police (ASEANAPOL).
The Declaration also outlined the following initiatives for regional cooperation on tackling transnational crime. One important point among 8 (eight) initiatives is “to encourage Member Countries to consider assigning Police Attaches and/or Police Liaison Officers in each other's capital in order to facilitate cooperation for tackling transnational crimes”.
Implementation
Implementation of the duties and
functions of the Police Attaché
or Liaison Officer
at The Kingdom of Thailand has great
significance for the development of cooperation between the two countries. As an addition that not only the
both countries are important position in
the scope of cooperation among ASEAN, but also the geographical position of both countries are
very strategic in
the world. This strategic positions
of course impact to the various form of criminality,
especially transnational crime.
On daily activities tasks,
Indonesia National Police Attaché or
Liaison Officer shall
be fully responsible to the Chief
of the Indonesian National Police, cg. The Head of International Relations Division in Jakarta
and in the implementation of activities in the
accreditation country is under the
direct coordination of the
Indonesian Ambassador in Thailand.
In addition, the Indonesian National Police
Attaché has a strong
coordination with local police, in this regards to the Royal
Thai Police (Foreign
Affairs Division) and has to build up a strong relation to its counterpart as partners of foreign police
and other law
enforcement agencies who are members of
FANC (Forum Anti-Narcotics
and Crime) in Thailand.
In the task of strengthening
police cooperation and relations between the two countries, efforts were made through
coordination and communication
patterns. Such cooperation
as well as developing the capacity of the police personnel of Royal Thai Thailand.
Both sides continued to implement various cooperation
agenda, including the exchange of
personnel to conduct
education and training both at the JCLEC
(Jakarta Center Law Enforcement Community) in Semarang, Indonesia and ILEA in Bangkok,
Thailand. The program is carried
out as an effort to improve the
knowledge and skills
of police personnel between the two countries in terms of Combating Terrorism and transnational crimes
in the ASEAN region.
The role of a
liaison officer or Police Attaché as universal norm is a person that liaises
between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities by
serving as an official government between both countries for senior officials.
(International Standardization Council-ISO; 2012)
As explained by
“Cloud Security Alliance: Role and responsibilities for Liaison Officer, April
2012”, in this regards the brief responsibilities of Indonesia Police Attaché
or Liaison officer for Thailand are as follow:
§ Indonesia National Police Attaché or
Liaison officer shall act under the authority of the Indonesia Government to
coordinate and control any related standards activities to the Kingdom of
Thailand as the accreditation country.
§ Indonesia National Police Attaché or
Liaison shall facilitate communication between the interest of two government
organization (especially related to Indonesian National Police and Royal Thai
Police). In doing so, the liaison officer or Indonesia National police attaché shall
provide to the organization on purposes, principles and projects.
§ Indonesia National Police Attaché or
Liaison officer is expected to have an up-dated knowledge of information
related to Indonesia interest at the accreditation area, including project
leadership and the stages of these projects.
§ Indonesia National Police Attaché or
Liaison officer and the others are expected to be active in the liaison
organization, built-up a good coordination and their key meetings. In doing so,
all of the Police Attaché or Liaison officer in Thailand established a forum
namely FANC (Forum Anti Narcotic and Crime) for they are social gathering and
other related bilateral meetings.
§ Indonesia National Police Attaché or
Liaison officer is responsible for a coherent between two core organization
responding on related programs and projects. In the most agenda related to
coordinate activities of the relevant bodies such as the ASOD, ASEANAPOL, AMMTC,
SOMTC, Bali Process and so on during goes held in Thailand.
§ Indonesia National Police Attaché or
Liaison officer will support strategic partnerships by providing quality advices,
facilitating effective knowledge management
and providing technical assistance to project planning, coordinating,
monitoring and reporting in any collaboration.
§ Indonesia National Police Attaché or Liaison officer shall secure its country
premises and assist and support citizens related to their problem and interest in
the accreditation country (especially protecting their sovereignty).
Finally, it can be concluded that up to now the relation between two countries has been well and going on in harmony by having as follow:
§ Task Implementation of Indonesia National Police Attaché or liaison officer at The Kingdom of Thailand during the period of assignment goes well. It was showing by the implementation of harmonization in the various fields of cooperation between the police of two countries, such as in the form of capacity building, exchange of information, cooperation in the investigation and Transnational Crime reduction and prevention.
§ Deployment of Indonesia National Police Attaché in Thailand is a very important addition to the speed in delivering a wide range of issues of police cooperation between the two countries, especially to facilitate a variety of coordination and communication between the two organizations Police State.
§ As part of the reciprocal principle, it would be much more effective if the Thai police side put its Police Attaché or Liaison Officer in Indonesia that has been done by Malaysia, Singapore and others countries in Jakarta.
References
Alan Castle, Transnational Organized Crime and International Security, Working Paper, No. 19, Institute of International Relations the University of British Columbia, November 1997.
P. William and D. Vlassic, Combating
Transnational Crime Special Issue of Transnational Organized Crime, 4
Autumn/Winter.
Ralf Emmer’s, The Securitization of
Transnational Crime in ASEAN, Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies
Singapore, Working Paper No. 39, 2002.
Paper, ASEAN’s Effort in Combating
Terrorism and Transnational Crime, Honolulu, AS, 16 November, 2004.
Handbook on Selected, ASEAN Political
Document.
Printing paper, ASEAN Cooperation in
Combating Transnational Crime, ASEAN Secretariat, and February 2005.
ASEAN online, www.aseansec.org, KOMPAS, 7 Augustus 2004.
ASEAN online, www.aseansec.org, KOMPAS, 7 Augustus 2004.
[1] This essay intend to fulfill to the CPG
(German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good
Government)
magazine.
[2] Police Senior Superintendent at International
Relation Division, NCB Interpol Indonesia-Jakarta.
[3] Since the establishing of diplomatic relation
between two countries.
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