DPRD Urges Bandung City to Boost Security with Streetlights, CCTV, and Joint Operations
Efforts to improve public safety and comfort in Bandung City have drawn the attention of Commission IV member of the Bandung City DPRD, Andri Gunawan. He believes that tackling the rise in muggings requires a comprehensive approach through strengthening public street lighting (PJU), social supervision, and cross-agency collaboration so that residents can carry out their activities more safely.
Andri assessed that the increase in street crime is not only related to security aspects but is also influenced by several social factors requiring collective attention, such as high youth unemployment, supervision of the circulation of alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs, and the condition of street lighting on a number of roads.
He cautioned that Indonesia’s demographic bonus should become a strength for development, rather than creating new problems if the younger generation does not get the opportunity to develop optimally. “Do not let the demographic bonus turn into a demographic disaster. One of the proofs is starting to show now. There are many young people, but they are not qualified, the absorption capacity of the job market is not proportional to the number of the workforce, so many young people are unemployed and lack adequate social skills,” Andri said in a statement on Friday (24/7).
According to him, this condition is one of the factors that can contribute to the rising crime rate, including the muggings that have recently become a public concern in Bandung City. Besides employment issues, Andri also believes that supervision of the circulation of alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs needs to be continuously strengthened. He expressed concern that shops suspected of selling powerful prescription drugs freely are still being found.
“I see a link between low human resource quality, high youth unemployment, and weak supervision of the circulation of alcohol and illegal drugs. Problems like this can actually be handled easily if the government is truly serious,” he said. Andri also highlighted the importance of accelerating the repair of public street lighting as a preventive measure to support environmental security. He noted that public complaints about poorly lit roads have been a long-standing concern.
“It has become a joke on social media. When there is an appeal for the public to avoid dark roads at night, netizens instead ask, which roads in Bandung are truly bright besides the main roads? This shows that the public really feels the PJU conditions are far from adequate,” he said. He hopes coordination between the city government, provincial government, and central government can be continuously strengthened, especially regarding the handling of roads under different jurisdictions.
“If the answer is that it is a provincial or national road, the public does not care. What is needed is inter-agency coordination. Do not let the people become victims just because the government is passing the buck,” he stressed. Andri also reminded that the issues of security and street lighting have been public concerns for several years, so more measured and sustainable steps are needed.
“The problem of Bandung being dark and the rise in crime did not happen just today. Since 2021, the public has been calling Bandung ‘Gotham City’ because of the many muggings and dark streets. The question is, why has this simple problem never really been made a priority?” he said. During discussions on the Draft General Budget Policy and Provisional Budget Ceiling Priorities (KUA-PPAS) and the City Government Work Plan (RKPD), Andri questioned the budget allocation for public street lighting.
According to him, the budget of around IDR 16 billion still needs to be increased if the government wants to expand lighting coverage across all areas of Bandung City. “I question whether a budget of around IDR 16 billion is enough to make the entire city of Bandung bright? In my opinion, it is certainly not enough. If public safety is a priority, then street lighting must also be a budget priority,” he said.
Additionally, Andri supports the police proposal to add CCTV cameras at crime-prone locations. He believes the CCTV system will be more effective if integrated between the Bandung City Government, the Bandung City Police, and the military so that monitoring and response to incidents can be carried out more quickly.
“If CCTV is installed, it should not stand alone. It must be integrated between the city government, the Bandung City Police, and the TNI so that monitoring can be done in real time and the response to criminal acts can be faster,” he said. In the short term, Andri also urged support for joint operations involving the city government, police, and military as part of efforts to maintain public security.
He believes that operational budget support is needed so that patrols and security operations can run optimally. “The city government has the flexibility to shift budgets. This is an urgent matter because it concerns the safety of citizens. Joint operations must be fully supported so that the eradication of mugging runs optimally,” he said. He stressed that maintaining security is a shared responsibility requiring synergy between the city government, security forces, and the community.
“I disagree if everything is left to the public to be more vigilant. What the government must do is fully support the police, repair all broken streetlights, install integrated CCTV, and ensure joint operations run sustainably. The state must be present to provide a sense of security to the public,” Andri concluded.