Mobile Brigade Urged to Focus on Handling High-Risk Situations, Not Civil Security

The death of a Madrasah student, aged 14 and with the initials AT, in Tual, Maluku, on February 19th, 2026, allegedly at the hands of Bripda MS, a member of the Mobile Brigade’s 1st Company, C Battalion, Maluku Regional Police, has prompted demands for a comprehensive evaluation of the Mobile Brigade’s involvement in civil security.

This incident has drawn public attention and criticism from various civil society groups. They question the necessity of deploying a unit trained to handle high-risk situations in routine public security contexts.

Bambang Rukminto, a police analyst from the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISSES), believes this controversy should be used as an opportunity to clarify the Mobile Brigade’s role in the field.

“The Mobile Brigade should be focused on handling high-risk situations, such as armed conflicts, terrorism, or major riots, not on routine public security,” said Bambang Rukminto when contacted in Jakarta on Wednesday, February 25th, 2026.

According to Bambang, cases of violence allegedly involving Mobile Brigade personnel repeatedly undermine public trust and indicate problems with the limits of the use of force in the field. He stated that public criticism should not be seen as an attack on the institution, but rather as a warning that fundamental improvements are needed.

Bambang believes that the urgent steps that need to be taken are to process the case openly, evaluate the Mobile Brigade’s involvement in civil security, and strengthen internal accountability to prevent further erosion of public trust.

He also emphasized that reforms within the Indonesian National Police should not only focus on recruitment or administrative development. Improvements must include the doctrine of the use of force, the education curriculum, and more humane and human rights-oriented training, accompanied by transparent law enforcement against members who violate regulations.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Public Relations Division of the National Police, Inspector General of Police Johnny Eddizon Isir, acknowledged the weaknesses in the case. He stated that the incident was an individual act and assured that the institution is conducting an evaluation. The National Police, he said, appreciates all public criticism and input as material for future improvements. However, he affirmed that the involvement of the Mobile Brigade in regional units, especially in eastern Indonesia, is still needed to assist the Regional and District Police in maintaining security.