Metro Jaya Police Deploy Officers in Pecis and Shalawat Team to Guard Demonstrations During Ramadan

Metro Jaya Police are adopting a distinctive approach to guarding and securing demonstrations held in Jakarta during the holy month of Ramadan. Officers are now equipped with religious attire. Rather than relying on barricades, male personnel wear peci and scarves, while female officers wear jilbab. The move is reinforced by the addition of the Polda Metro Jaya tim shalawat, deployed as frontline negotiators. They are tasked with conducting persuasive dialogue to foster a calm, dialogic atmosphere between the authorities and demonstrators. This approach reflects an instruction from Kapolda Metro Jaya Irjen Asep Edi Suheri to prioritise protection and a high regard for human rights in every operation. Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Budi Hermanto, stressed that security procedures are carried out with strict safety standards, but remain persuasive. All personnel involved in security are not permitted to carry firearms or live ammunition to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants. The Metro Jaya Police urged demonstrators to remain orderly in expressing their aspirations, and asked the crowd to respect public facilities and honour the rights of other road users who are fasting during Ramadan. “Freedom of expression is a constitutional right of all elements of society guaranteed by law. However, as we are in the holy month of Ramadan, we hope for a cooler, more peaceful, tolerant atmosphere. We are deploying personnel with religious attire and the tim shalawat team to foster more harmonious communication with demonstrators while remaining within the boundaries of mutual respect,” Budi said in a statement on Wednesday (4/3/2026). Budi Hermanto added that this security arrangement will be maintained as a standard service of Polda Metro Jaya in guarding healthy democracy in the capital city and its environs.