Jakarta Legal Aid Institute Urges Metro Police to Re-evaluate 'Street Robbery Hunter Team'

The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) has criticised the formation of the ‘Street Robbery Hunter Team’ by the Metro Jaya Police.

LBH Jakarta believes that the formation of the team has the potential to repeat past practices of violence by law enforcement officials, including extrajudicial killings.

In a written statement released on Friday (16 May), LBH Jakarta stated that the use of the term ‘hunter’ in the official police nomenclature reflects a mindset that places civilians as a threat to be hunted and neutralised.

‘In a democratic state of law, the police are not an institution of war. Its primary function is to enforce the law within the framework of the constitution and human rights,’ wrote LBH Jakarta.

LBH Jakarta expressed concern over the increasing number of street robbery cases in the Greater Jakarta area and affirmed that the state has an obligation to provide a sense of security for the community. However, a repressive security approach is considered to be at risk of violating human rights.

LBH Jakarta referred to the experience of security operations leading up to the 2018 Asian Games, which it said resulted in practices of shooting, torture, and alleged extrajudicial killings against people accused of being street criminals.

‘In the records of LBH Jakarta’s advocacy, at least 15 people died and dozens more were injured in police operations at that time,’ they wrote.

According to LBH Jakarta, many of the victims at that time had not yet had their guilt tested through a fair and legal judicial process.

They also believe that a security approach that places the ‘enemy’ as a target to be hunted is reminiscent of the Mysterious Shooting or Petrus events in the period 1982-1985.

LBH Jakarta stated that to date, the public has not received detailed explanations regarding the supervisory mechanisms for the Street Robbery Hunter Team’s operations, the standards for the use of firearms, procedures for action in the field, or accountability mechanisms if there are victims of injury or death.

‘The lack of transparency and accountability mechanisms shows that the approach being built places more emphasis on the repressive aspect,’ they wrote.

LBH Jakarta also believes that the problem of street crime cannot be solved solely through patrols and armed security operations.

According to them, street crime is also related to socio-economic inequality, unemployment, poor urban infrastructure, and the lack of public transportation at night.

‘When the state only responds with patrols and armed security operations, then what is being addressed are only the symptoms, while the root of the problem is still allowed to grow,’ said LBH Jakarta.

LBH Jakarta then asked the Chief of the Metro Jaya Police to review the approach of the Street Robbery Hunter Team and ensure that all police actions are carried out in accordance with the principles of human rights and due process of law.

In addition, they urged the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), and the Indonesian Ombudsman to actively monitor security operations by law enforcement officers.

LBH Jakarta also asked the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to help deal with street crime by improving street lighting, night public transportation, and socio-economic policies to reduce the vulnerability of residents.