Officers inspect a vehicle that was damaged by a mob attack on the Ciracas Police station in East Jakarta in the early hours of Wednesday (12/12/2018). Besides damaging at least 17 parked vehicles, the mob also set fire to the police station and demanded the release of detainees who had beaten Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel.
A thorough investigation must be held into the attack on and burning of Ciracas Police Station. The law must be enforced indiscriminately.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The National Police have been urged to take firm action against the perpetrators in the attack on East Jakarta’s Ciracas Police Station in the early hours of Wednesday (12/12/2018). They must face due process so the principle of equality before the law is upheld.
Institute for Security and Strategic Studies researcher Khairul Fahmi said that because the incident had disrupted public services, damaged state property and attacked state servants, the National Police needed to take firm action against the perpetrators. “The law cannot be flexible, it must be firm. After that, we will talk only about how to prevent this from happening again,” he said.
Khairul added that dissatisfaction over the police’s services had caused disillusionment and public disorder. Therefore, the National Police needed to make improvements in carrying out its duties and functions as mandated by law.
Imparsial director Al Araf stressed the mob attack on Ciracas Police Station could not be justified by any reason. The National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) must work together to identify the perpetrators.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan promised to continue monitoring reports regarding the mob attack on Ciracas Police Station, adding that he entrusted the investigation into the incident to law enforcement. The mob attack was allegedly motivated by an assault case involving a parking attendant as the suspected perpetrator. Anies said he would summon the Jakarta Parking Service to discipline the city’s parking attendants.
National Police public information bureau head Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo said that in addition to the attack on Ciracas Police Station, East Jakarta Police detectives were also investigating the assault on Navy Capt. Komarudin on Tuesday (12/11) in Cibubur, East Jakarta.
Earlier, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Idham Azis said he did not understand the perpetrators of the Ciracas attack. However, he confirmed that the perpetrators were voicing their dissatisfaction over the investigation into their colleague’s assault case, which was led by the Ciracas Police.
“About 200 people rushed in [to the police station] to see if the individual who had beaten their colleague had been arrested. The Ciracas Police chief and the East Jakarta Police chief explained that they were still pursuing the perpetrators up to [48] hours. Unhappy with this response, they then turned to anarchy and ransacked the building and damaged the vehicles at Ciracas Police Station,” said Idham.
Ciracas Police released information that the mob attack was connected to an assault that occurred on Tuesday afternoon, in which nine parking attendants assaulted a TNI man in uniform. In the incident, a parking attendant at Arundina Supermarket attempted to move a motorcycle without realizing that its owner was checking the exhaust. The motorcycle hit the man’s head, and an argument ensued that escalated into a physical altercation.
The attack on Ciracas Police Station started on Tuesday at 11:45 p.m. and was brought under control on Wednesday at 2:30 a.m. Ciracas Police chief Comm. Agus Widar was beaten unconscious, and four other policemen were injured. East Jakarta deputy police chief Adj. Sr. Comm. Sonny Mahar Budi Adityawan said that Agus was well and was being treated at East Jakarta’s Kramat Jati Police Hospital.
Two local residents who were in the vicinity of Ciracas Police Station were also injured in the attack. The mob also set another resident’s motorcycle on fire. Seventeen vehicles belonging to the Ciracas Police, the Jakarta Police’s Professional and Security Office and the Jakarta Military Police Detachment were damaged.
Idham had ordered the general crimes directorate and East Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comm. Yoyon Tony Surya Putra to investigate the attack. Seven people were in detention at the Jakarta Police Station yesterday evening.
Meanwhile, Idham said the Ciracas Police had resumed its services with the support of the TNI and the East Jakarta administration.
No residents were seen seeking any services at Ciracas Police Station up to Wednesday afternoon. The station’s windows had been broken, while the burnt roof had collapsed. The police guarded the station with reinforcements from the 210/JY Infantry Battalion.
Form a team
Navy information chief M. Zaenal said that the incident at Ciracas Police Station could not be linked directly to the parking attendants assault on the Navy captain. The assault case had been settled peacefully between the perpetrator and the victim.
However, if the mob attack was indeed found to be related to the assault case, the Navy would hand the investigation to the Military Police. “So, we are focusing on discovering who perpetrated the attack on the Ciracas Police. We are now looking into whether a connection exists between the mob attack and ransacking [of Ciracas Police Station] and the assault on a TNI member the other day,” said Jakarta Military Command information chief Col. Infantry Kristomei Sianturi.
Kristomei also said that if Jakarta Military soldiers were indeed involved in the mob attack, the individuals would be processed under the Military Criminal Code.
Dedi Prasetyo added that a joint TNI-National Police team had been established to solve the attack on Ciracas Police Station and the assault on Komarudin. It had been agreed that the National Police would handle the legal processes transparently. (WAD/IRE/SAN/BOW/E03/E04)
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