Deputy Minister of Law: Traffic Police are the State's Closest Representation to the Public

Semarang, VIVA - Deputy Minister of Law (Wamenkum) Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej stated that the Traffic Corps (Korlantas) is the face of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) that most frequently interacts directly with the public. Therefore, every action by officers in the field must reflect professionalism as well as empathy. “Traffic police are the state’s representation closest to the public. Their conduct in the field will greatly determine the level of public trust,” said Edward during the Evaluation of Operation Ketupat 2026 at the Padma Hotel, Semarang, Central Java, on Thursday, 23 April 2026. The Deputy Minister stressed the importance of a paradigm shift in traffic law enforcement, in line with the implementation of the latest criminal law package. In his directives to the Korlantas Polri ranks, he emphasised that handling traffic violations should prioritise an approach that is not solely punitive. “The traffic law is an administrative law that carries criminal sanctions. Therefore, enforcement must prioritise administrative sanctions first. Criminal penalties are the last resort,” stated Edward. In addition, the Deputy Minister highlighted the importance of applying restorative justice in handling traffic cases, particularly accidents. He affirmed that this approach can still be applied even if the criminal threat exceeds five years, as long as the incident occurs due to negligence. “No one intentionally causes an accident. As long as it happens due to carelessness, space for restorative resolution must be opened,” he asserted. He added that law enforcement officers must be able to carefully distinguish between pure accidents and those due to negligence. According to him, not all traffic incidents can immediately be qualified as criminal acts. “It could be that someone is in the right position but unable to avoid a collision due to another party’s violation. In such conditions, it is inappropriate to immediately impose criminal liability,” he concluded.