Jakarta. A new poll published on Sunday suggested that up to 70 million Indonesian adults have paid a bribe in their interactions with police officers. 

The survey by Indikator Politik Indonesia (IPI) found that 30.6 percent of respondents admitted to having paid a bribe at least once to avoid punishment mostly for traffic offenses.

The finding means that “between 60 million and 70 million people” have the experience of paying “settlement money” when dealing with police, IPI Executive Director Burhanuddin Muhtadi said at a news conference in Jakarta.

More than a quarter of respondents admitted that they had to pay police officers to obtain or renew their driver’s licenses.

“I think we have works to do and the House of Representatives needs to advise on how to minimize this [corrupt] practice because we found ties of those who have paid a bribe to their eroding trust toward the police,” Burhanuddin said.

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The survey was conducted from October 30 – November 5 involving 1,220 respondents of the age of 17 or older across Indonesia.

The same poll indicated that the National Police was the second-least trusted institution, better only than the political party.

Only 8.7 percent of respondents said they really trust the police when asked about their confidence, while 51.8 percent of respondents gave a moderate view.

A vast majority of respondents, or 68.5 percent, said they supported National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo’s recent decision to ban on-the-spot traffic tickets in cities where the Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement system is available.

The measure is seen as a breakthrough to address police corruption and restore public trust because it could break the cycle of impunity by eliminating in-person interaction between traffic offenders and officers and shutting the door to bargaining, Burhanuddin said.