How Far Can the Police Act Based on Citizen Reports?

A video recording the interception of a car on Daan Mogot Road, Cengkareng, West Jakarta, has come under scrutiny. In the footage, a group of men in civilian clothes can be seen shouting, banging on the vehicle, and even forcing their way into the car they stopped in the middle of the road. It later emerged that they were police officers following up on a public report regarding suspected drug transactions. However, the incident has prompted a non-trivial question: how far can the police act based solely on a citizen’s report? “The police must not arbitrarily search a citizen’s car or those of the public,” said Abdul Fickar when contacted by Kompas.com on Wednesday (22/4/2026). He explained that in the context of handling cases, the police are required to show a task letter and must have court permission to conduct a search. Without this, the action risks violating legal procedures. However, there is an exception provided for in the criminal procedure law. A search can be conducted without court permission if it occurs in a caught-in-the-act situation. This means there must be strong indications that the object being searched is directly related to a criminal act, supported by other evidence such as witness statements, documents, or leads as stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP). Furthermore, Abdul Fickar emphasised the importance of transparency in the field. “The police are obliged to show a search warrant, whether in the form of a task letter from superiors or official permission from the court,” said Abdul Fickar. Such documents are even entitled to be viewed or copied by the public who are the subjects of the action.