the importance of victimology from police perspective

posting by Dimitri Mahendra

For police officers, victimology is a sub discipline of social science that are important to learn. It said the sub disciplines of social sciences because it is a subsidiary of victimology disciplines as criminology which is derived from the social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, political science, international law, administrative. It can be assumed as a child that has properties similar to their parents, then have the same characteristics as their parent. See the criminological characteristics of victimology has the same characteristics that have a common thread.

Said to be important for police officers to learn, because victimology is the study of victims. Let's say in this case has a common thread with the science of criminology that examines how the suspects, defendants and prisoners who actually handled, while victimology examine how the victim was really treated by the police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges.

In addition, it is important to learn victimology said by members of the Police is based on the reality on the ground, particularly in view of the police officers who deal with criminal investigators, both blue collar and white collar crime, crime is more focused to the arrest of the suspect, the disclosure of a case, obtaining statements p21 of prosecutors,

that's forgetting that the victim has the right to be looked at more specifically where the victim of an alleged or re-victimization trauma experienced by cases, and this lack of attention by investigators. For instance, based on the story experience that my senior, there was an incident in which the North Sumatra Police investigators call a victim or a witness to the incident for questioning regarding a case. In the summons, stated that at the calling performed at 09.00 pm, but when the victim as a witness was present at the police, not the service response obtained, but the victim must be a long wait until a new inspection at 17.00. In addition, the victim is actually an investigator bought lunch. It should not be like that, penyidiklah that provide services to victims. Imagine how that felt by the victim as a witness. Besides diminishing the image of the police, the so-called re-victimization stressors experienced by victims is also increasing.

My argument from my paragraph above is based on well with the lack of protection for victims of the Code of Criminal Procedure is confirmed by the opinion of the forum justice Muchtar Pakpahan No. 10 that the Criminal Procedure Code in the protection of victims have very little portion. Inclusion was primarily intended to protect the human rights of suspects. That is, if the evidence to prosecute someone is not enough, so the investigation or prosecution is stopped up. In order to clear his name, the accused may file a pre-trial case for the actions of the investigators.

That can be correlated with the lack of police officers sensitifan the victim, it may cause an assumption that police officers do not have credibility, which is as it will affect the image of the police and the public trust. In addition, if a victim knows of a case, would be reluctant to report to the police due to servicing that is not good, it will affect the rise in the total number of criminal offenses that occur.

In addition, with no police officers on victim sensitivity will create fear of crime or fear of crime, fear of crime which have normal symptoms as an individual psychological reactions are subjective to the stimulus in the form of a terrible crime. This is confirmed by the opinion of Hindelang, Gotfredson and Garofalo (1978) that those who have been victims of crime will have the effect of fear of crime more quickly particularly in view of those who were victims of street crime or street crime.

Another argument underlying victimology I say that it is important to be learned by members of the Police is the presence of non-violent crimes that have different victims context of this type of violent crime, where there is no violence in it, is a new knowledge for the police as a form of prevention mass criminalization that are harmful to society. example only Minamata tragedy in Japan, the allies bombed with napalm bombs and smashed on the river and the river flows into a river full of Merkury, and the people who were there Minamata disease. Perhaps one of the victims today, tomorrow and beyond to grow again, and then it will be a collective, and considered as a whole or a major outbreak.

From the arguments above, coupled with the facts and opinions of experts in the field, I can conclude that indeed victimology is a sub-discipline that is important for police organizations in carrying out basic police duties in order to achieve professional performance of the police.