1,246 Joint Personnel Deployed to Secure Ojol Protest in Central Jakarta
A total of 1,246 joint personnel have been deployed to secure a demonstration by online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers in Central Jakarta on Thursday. This tactical measure was taken to ensure the drivers’ aspirations are conveyed in a conducive manner without paralysing the capital’s transport arteries.
Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief, Senior Commissioner Reynold E.P. Hutagalung, stated that the deployment is a form of police service aimed at maintaining territorial security stability while respecting the public’s constitutional right to express opinions in public.
“We have prepared personnel to ensure the expression of aspirations proceeds safely and orderly,” Reynold said in Jakarta on Thursday.
Reynold detailed that the thousands of joint personnel deployed in the field consist of elements from the Metro Jaya Regional Police, Central Jakarta Metro Police, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and relevant agencies from the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government. In his directives, he emphasised the importance of a humane and persuasive approach while prioritising the safety of all parties.
To prevent friction, the Police Chief urged protest participants to convey their aspirations within an orderly legal framework and to refrain from anarchic actions that disrupt public order.
Anticipating severe congestion in the heart of the capital, the Central Jakarta Metro Police Traffic Unit has also prepared a situational traffic diversion scheme to be implemented around the protest location.
According to police reports, the main mass concentration today is driven by the United Indonesian Ojol Movement, which is focusing its oration in the Gambir area, Central Jakarta. In addition to the ojol mass movement, layered security has also been placed on standby in the Senayan area to escort a protest by the Student Alliance for Democracy in front of the DPR/MPR RI Building.
“We urge the public who will be passing near the protest locations to seek alternative routes. Traffic management will be carried out situationally based on developments in the field,” Reynold stressed.
The Central Jakarta Metro Police confirmed that the layered deployment of personnel will continue until the entire series of protests is complete and the masses disperse in an orderly manner.