National Police Chief Highlights Youth Brawls During Ramadan: 'Please Remind Our Children'

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo has drawn attention to the gathering of young people that often escalates into street brawls during the holy month of Ramadan. The police chief urged parents to consistently watch over their children to prevent them from engaging in counterproductive activities.

“From what I’ve observed, around the time of iftar and approaching or just after sahur, the tradition of young people gathering, riding motorcycles, and then brawling has actually become a trend. I ask that this be addressed when we carry out our activities, during tarawih prayers. Remind our children that this is Ramadan, a holy month, a month full of blessings. Please avoid such behaviour,” said the Police Chief whilst attending the Peak Reception of the 108th Anniversary of Persatuan Ummat Islam (PUI) in Majalengka, West Java, on Monday (23/2/2026).

The Police Chief called on all parties not to be provoked into negative behaviour. He also invited PUI to play a role in maintaining order and security in their communities.

“If anyone provokes, remind them that we are currently in the month of Ramadan. My hope is that the entire PUI family can truly serve as a cooling system,” he added.

On the same occasion, the Police Chief also spoke about protest actions as a form of public correction towards the government. He referenced several prominent demonstrations that had taken place recently and attracted widespread public attention.

“Some time ago, tax increases also emerged which then sparked protests everywhere, including the Grey August incident and Black September — these could certainly occur again in the coming years and months,” the Police Chief added.

The Police Chief stated that the force continues to improve its capacity to serve the public in expressing their aspirations through demonstrations. For this reason, he said, the National Police has now shifted its paradigm from guarding demonstrations to serving demonstrations.

“Because we also recognise that the public who carry out protest actions are part of our extended family, so we have changed the paradigm from guarding to serving, and we are taking more preventive approaches through dialogue,” he said.