Kompolnas: Dedi Mulyadi's Bounty for Beggars Risks Shifting Law Enforcement Functions

Gufron Mabruri, a commissioner of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), has said that the bounty competition for hunting muggers launched by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi risks creating the perception that the state is delegating part of its law enforcement function to society. Gufron said the legitimate use of force in a state governed by law is, in principle, the authority of the state exercised through law enforcement officials.

For that reason, he believes the government must be cautious when designing policies that encourage the public to become directly involved in apprehending criminal suspects. “Even though community involvement is indeed important in maintaining neighbourhood security,” Gufron said when contacted via WhatsApp on Tuesday, 28 July 2026.

He asked Dedi Mulyadi to examine more deeply the bounty competition for catching muggers, which offers prizes of Rp5 million to Rp50 million.

Nevertheless, he stressed that the spirit of the policy deserves appreciation, as it seeks to increase public participation in maintaining neighbourhood security. According to him, public security cannot be borne entirely by the police, but requires the support of regional governments and the community.

“Neighbourhood security, including preventing the threat of mugging and other street crime, cannot be carried out by the police alone. It also requires the role of regional governments and community participation,” he said.

However, Gufron believes community participation should be built through strengthening the neighbourhood security system rather than through a bounty mechanism. He said regional governments have more strategic policy space to suppress crime, ranging from reactivating the community security system (siskamling), strengthening coordination with the police, to making use of the 110 emergency service provided by the Indonesian National Police (Polri).

In addition, he said regional governments need to strengthen prevention through policies based on mapping of area vulnerability. Such steps can be taken by improving environmental design, installing surveillance cameras, and improving lighting in crime-prone areas.

“What has often been overlooked is the role of regional governments through policy. Neighbourhood security cannot be borne by the police alone. In other words, regional governments bear responsibility there too,” said Gufron.

He added that street crime is a problem faced not only by West Java but also by many major cities in Indonesia. Therefore, he believes the solution needs to be placed within a framework of strengthening public security governance, rather than being merely a response to a single type of crime.

Previously, Dedi admitted that he was using his own money to fund the bounty competition, worth between Rp5 million and Rp50 million. He wants to change the tendency of the public to punish perpetrators en masse into handing them over to the authorities to be processed according to the law.

“With a bounty from me, the public simply needs to hand them over without having to take justice into their own hands, and they can receive an award. Psychologically, this will influence people’s behaviour,” Dedi said after attending the Waste-Sorting Readiness Rally at the Arcamanik Sport Centre in Bandung on Friday, 24 July 2026.

In a separate statement, the Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, expressed concern that the bounty competition would drive people towards vigilante justice against muggers and thieves. “In difficult economic conditions, given the promise of just Rp5 million or Rp10 million, people would already be ready to grab a machete,” Yusril said on Thursday, 23 July 2026.

Nevertheless, the Head of the Public Relations Division of the West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Hendra Rochmawan, said firm action must not result in permanent disability or death for muggers.

“The Regional Police Chief’s instruction is measured firm action. That applies not only to the police but also to the public, provided it remains firm and measured. It must not lead to fatal consequences,” Hendra said when contacted on Tuesday, 21 July 2026.