Peer-reviewed article
Assessing the Effectiveness of the Police Function in Combating Violence against Children: A Case Study at Makassar City Police Headquarters
Syamsoe Alam Syah, Mulyati Pawennei, Zainuddin Zainuddin ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how effectively police in Makassar City, Indonesia combat violence against children. Researchers interviewed police staff and reviewed cases to assess both criminal prosecution (penal) and prevention/education (non-penal) approaches. The police were found to be using effective strategies, but eight factors including legal knowledge, awareness, and resources only had limited impact on reducing violence against children.
Key points
- Both penal and non-penal police measures were assessed as effective in combating violence against children
- Eight influencing factors were identified: legal structure, legal substance, legal culture, legal knowledge, legal awareness, facilities and infrastructure, social environment, and family economy
- These eight factors were found to have limited influence on actual efforts to combat violence against children
- Recommendations include optimizing police penal and non-penal efforts while addressing performance factors
Limitations
This is a qualitative case study of one police headquarters; it does not measure actual crime reduction outcomes or compare effectiveness across different police approaches or regions. The study does not specify how effectiveness was measured or what specific interventions were evaluated.
Abstract
This research aims to identify and analyze the effectiveness of the police function, and the factors influencing this effectiveness, in combating criminal acts of violence against children. This study falls under the category of empirical legal research, emphasizing field research supported by data and interview results. The research was conducted in Makassar City. The findings indicate that both non-penal and penal measures undertaken by the Makassar City Police Headquarters are considered effective in combating criminal acts of violence against children. Furthermore, eight factors related to these non-penal and penal measures were identified: legal structure, legal substance, legal culture, legal knowledge, legal awareness, facilities and infrastructure, social environment, and family economy. However, these factors were assessed as having a limited influence on the efforts to combat criminal acts of violence against children occurring in Makassar City. It is recommended that the police optimize their penal and non-penal efforts while concurrently addressing the factors influencing their performance and function, in order to minimize criminal acts of violence against children in the future.