Due to his environmental concerns, Commissioner Eko has been\nnominated by the Riau community for the 2026 Hoegeng Awards. One of the\nnominators is environmental activist Dody Rasyid Amin, who is also the\nfounder of the Subayang Festival Riau.<\/p>\n
Dody stated that one of Commissioner Eko\u2019s efforts to protect the\nforest is to change the mindset of the local community. Young people are\ngiven training so that they no longer see the forest as their primary\nsource of livelihood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy place here is a wildlife sanctuary, with 10 villages in the\nforest area that have no electricity, no roads, no internet, so the\nchildren here have limited opportunities for education. Opportunities\nfor decent work are limited, so many engage in illegal logging and\ntaking from the forest,\u201d Dody told detikcom on Monday (30\/3\/2026).<\/p>\n
Dody is a resident of Kampar Kiri Hulu, Kampar Regency. He got to\nknow Commissioner Eko when attending the 2025 Karhutla Jamboree\norganised by the Riau Regional Police.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that event, Rocky Gerung and Abdul Somad were present; I was the\nevent organiser. The Director was there, he saw some cultural\nperformances and asked me, \u2018What do people here earn, Bang?\u2019 I explained\nthe dire situation regarding job opportunities,\u201d said Dody.<\/p>\n
To Commissioner Eko, Dody mentioned that there are several villages\nin Kampar Kiri Hulu located in the middle of the forest. He conveyed\nthat the community engages in forest clearing because there are no other\njobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suggested, \u2018Please help, Sir, how can they be given training or\nsomething to work outside, so their jobs are no longer illegal.\u2019 It was\nresponded to at the time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dody is also with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Riau. He is\nconcerned that the remote community\u2019s dependence on the forest in Kampar\nwill damage the environment. He revealed a tradition where every newly\nmarried couple usually clears 2 hectares of forest land.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo if one village has just 4 marriages, times 10 villages means 40,\ntimes 2 hectares. That means potentially 80 hectares opened in one year\nfor new jobs. So if they are not redirected to have other incomes, I\nthink the 140,000-hectare wildlife sanctuary is just waiting to happen,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Dody realises that changing the community\u2019s mindset is not easy. He\nnoted that Commissioner Eko provided a good approach to the\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cChanging people here, changing their lifestyle, is not easy. So when\nhe visited, he brought basic necessities while conveying the idea. It\nturned out there was a response, and some of the young people understood\nthat there are opportunities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dody mentioned that as many as 60 local youths participated in\nsecurity guard training. Among the youths who joined the training, some\nare already working.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow there are siblings who are already working. Some are not yet,\nbecause changing their mindset isn\u2019t instant. If they join on their own,\neducation costs around 3 million, so it\u2019s very helpful. Many children\nhere previously worked as security; if registering alone, it costs 5\nmillion for education, uniforms\u2014this is free, assisted, and placed,\u201d he\nexplained.<\/p>\n
The youths who have participated in the training programme will be\nmade Ambassadors for Green Policing. It is hoped that these youths can\nencourage other community members to care about the environment and\nprotect the forest.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the siblings who are trained are made Ambassadors for Green\nPolicing, so it\u2019s hoped that after training, it\u2019s not just about getting\njobs, but also helping, becoming ambassadors in the community to convey\nthe importance of protecting the environment,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Involving Students to Care for the Environment<\/p>\n
Commissioner Eko has also been nominated for the 2026 Hoegeng Awards\nby the Chairman of the Riau Green Union, Hengky Primana. He said that\nCommissioner Eko works in the environmental field in line with the Riau\nPolice Chief Inspector General Herry Heryawan\u2019s programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at Mr Eko\u2019s dedication. He also has an approach to students by\nforming what is called Green Policing Ambassadors, the Police Chief\u2019s\nprogramme. We also assess the creative programmes and positive\nactivities he has created,\u201d said Hengky when contacted separately.<\/p>\n
In this environmental care programme, Commissioner Eko also involves\nactive community roles. He revitalises the neighbourhood watch programme\nand enforces the law with a local wisdom approach, one of which is the\nDubalang Batang Kuantan programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe works in the environmental field, education; he carries out\ncommunity guidance tasks that are truly needed by the community, such as\nforming neighbourhood watches, the Dubalang Batang Kuantan nurtured by\nhim, which involves the community in maintaining security and public\norder,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Hengky stated that the Dubalang Batang Kuantan approach can help\npolice in cracking down on violations. One of them is illegal gold\nmining in Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing).<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Kuantan Singingi, what was formed\u2026 there was illegal gold mining\nin Kuansing by the community; when officials crack down, the community\nsometimes resists, like hijacking the Police Chief\u2019s vehicle at that\ntime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe initiative of Dubalang Batang Kuantan that was formed is how the\ncommunity guards the community, so the community is formed to mutually\nguard each other. Translating the programme directed by the Police Chief\nin the Green Policing earlier,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Hengky mentioned that the Riau Regional Police\u2019s Green Policing\nprogramme also partners with students. The students are made ambassadors\nto encourage the community to care about the environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe once said Green School Academy, bringing in all high school\nstudents, OSIS children. So now OSIS children are all talking about\nGreen Policing. So the OSIS Chairmen in Riau are making security and\npublic order, voicing the environment and other education,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Eko\u2019s Approach Changes Community Mindsets<\/p>\n
Commissioner Eko has been the Director of Community Guidance at Riau\nRegional Police since April 2025. After being inaugurated, he has\nstrived to address the issues in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far, I have never directly been assigned in the community\nguidance field.\u201d<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/commissioner-eko-changes-community-mindsets-to-protect-forests-and-develop-green-policing-1777438360", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }