Resolve Ciracas Case

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

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.

The ransacking of Ciracas Police Station is a bad example of law enforcement in Indonesia. Taking the law into one’s own hands cannot be justified.

The Ciracas Police Station is in the municipality of East Jakarta in the nation’s capital. Therefore, it is natural that the incident grabbed the public’s attention. The violent incident illustrates vigilantism, a behavior that is far from the ideals of establishing Indonesia as a law-abiding state.

The attack on Ciracas Police Station started at 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 11, and lasted until 2:30 a.m. the following morning. This daily reported that Ciracas Police chief Comm. Agus Widar was beaten unconscious. Four other policemen were injured. A resident who was near the police station was victimized. A total of 17 official vehicles were damaged.

It is not yet known who the perpetrators were. However, in terms of the damage they caused and their boldness in attacking the police, the attackers are certainly not ordinary citizens. A thorough investigation is necessary to reveal the perpetrators behind the ransacking of Ciracas Police Office and their motivation. Are there links between the attack and the reported beating of an alleged Navy captain by nine parking attendants?

Navy information services chief Col. M. Zaenal said that the incident at Ciracas Police Station could not be directly linked to the parking attendants’ assault on a Navy personnel. However, if a connection were found, the case would be handed over to the TNI Military Police (Kompas, 12/13/2018).

We support the steps the TNI and Polri leadership have taken to form a joint team to resolve the Ciracas case and the assault on Navy captain Komaruddin. The legal cases assigned to the National Police are being carried out transparently. In a later development, the National Police arrested several individuals suspected of being linked to the assault on Komaruddin.

The police must of course conduct a self-evaluation and continue to improve its services to the public. Law enforcement must be indiscriminate. The Indonesian police force must regain public trust.

Whatever the reason, dissatisfaction with any institution, including what allegedly triggered the Ciracas incident, cannot be expressed through violence. The law must be enforced. In a state of law, no individual or institution is above the law.

The Ciracas case must be investigated quickly, so that the incident is not abused unnecessarily for political interests. Those in command, the TNI and the National Police, must push to settle the two cases: the assault on Navy captain Komaruddin and the ransacking of Ciracas Police Station. The two institutions must discover the motives and trigger behind the destruction of the police station and its relation, if any, to the assault on the Navy personnel. A comprehensive explanation and legal process are needed to prevent public speculation.

The TNI and the National Police must act in solidarity, especially ahead of the General Election on April 17, 2019. The solid visages of National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian and TNI commander Air Marshal

Hadi Tjahjanto that adorn street banners in public locations, including police stations, should have a calming effect on lower-ranking personnel. The solidarity of the two institutions will engender a sense of public security and safety.