Brimob Commander: Handling Crowds Now Does Not Require Violence
Depok, Kompas.com - The Commander of the Mobile Brigade Corps (Dankor) of the Indonesian National Police, Inspector General Ramdani Hidayat, has stressed that the approach to handling mass actions now no longer prioritises violence, but instead emphasises persuasive and humane measures.
“Handling crowds now does not have to involve violence. We first demonstrate using soft power,” said Ramdani at the Brimob Corps Headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java, on Tuesday (21/4/2026).
He explained that in every security operation for protest actions, police functions such as Community Guidance (Binmas) and Traffic Police (Sabhara) would be prioritised first.
“So Brimob’s strength is the last resort. Therefore, we convey that the Public Order and Security Unit (PHH) is not a riot squad, but a force to prevent anarchy,” he stated.
According to Ramdani, firm action would only be taken if the mass action veers towards law violations, such as damaging public facilities, arson, or threatening lives.
“If it’s just a demonstration, everyone is allowed to protest, but if it leads to destruction, arson, endangering someone’s life, or even causing death, then we will act,” he said.
On the other hand, Ramdani noted that Brimob personnel’s readiness is continuously being enhanced as a follow-up to instructions from Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, particularly in facing potential security disruptions due to global dynamics, including the impact of rising energy prices.
According to him, these potential disruptions have been mapped by the Police Intelligence and Security Agency (Baintelkam) and serve as the basis for cross-functional and regional coordination.
“We receive information from BIK, then we coordinate with existing functional units, Regional Units (Satwil), and also related agencies,” Ramdani explained.
Nevertheless, he assured that the current handling of mass actions remains under control and can be managed by police ranks in their respective regions.