National Police Chief Hopes Operation Ketupat 2026 Can Boost Regional Economy
National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo emphasised the importance of securing smooth homecoming and return traffic flows during Operation Ketupat 2026, expecting successful mobility to generate significant economic benefits for regional economies.
General Sigit made these remarks during a cross-sectoral coordination meeting themed “Safe Homecoming, Happy Family” at the Mutiara Auditorium, STIK-PTIK Lemdiklat Polri, on Monday (2 March 2026). General Sigit joined various ministers and agency heads to align security measures.
General Sigit noted that in the previous year, cash circulation from the centre to regions during Lebaran reached Rp 137 trillion.
“Alhamdulillah, last year cash circulation from the centre to regions reached approximately Rp 137 trillion. Of course, we hope that the security of Operation Ketupat 2026 will also succeed maximally, so the multiplier effect for regional economies will certainly have significant impact,” he said.
This optimism was based on evaluating previous traffic performance, which showed positive trends. The Police Chief reported that cumulative vehicle traffic volume during the return journey increased by more than 2.3 million vehicles. This increase was accompanied by a 12.44 per cent rise in average vehicle speed, from 76 km/h to 85 km/h. This resulted in more efficient travel times, saving 44 minutes compared to the previous year.
“Certainly, the reduction in travel time and increase in speed represents success in implementing traffic flow engineering strategies from all relevant stakeholders,” he explained.
This achievement serves as a reference for the police force to maintain or even improve travel time efficiency during the 2026 Lebaran homecoming. However, safety principles remain the priority.
“So this certainly serves as a reference for us to maintain or possibly increase efficiency to achieve faster times or reduce travel time and increase speed,” he continued.
Although accident incidents and fatalities decreased, General Sigit cautioned his personnel to remain vigilant. Based on accident analysis and evaluation, the primary cause of road incidents was failure to maintain safe following distances. Fatigue and drowsiness combined with high speeds were also major triggers. He noted that homegoers frequently drove despite not being in peak condition.
“However, if we look at it, there are still dangerous hours we must anticipate to reduce accidents. The highest hours are 09:00-12:00, with 532 accidents,” General Sigit said.
A number of senior state officials attended the meeting, including Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno, Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar, Trade Minister Budi Santoso, and Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi. Also present were the Deputy for Operations of the Armed Forces Commander, the Head of BNPB, the Head of BMKG, and directors of state-owned enterprises including Pertamina, Jasa Marga, and Jasa Raharja.
The meeting was attended by 302 participants in person, including 28 National Police Headquarters officials and 36 regional police chiefs from across Indonesia. In the structure of Operation Ketupat 2026, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit serves as the Policy Responsibility Officer, assisted by Deputy National Police Chief Komjen Dedi Prasetyo as Deputy Responsibility Officer. Technically, the operation will be led by the Head of Police Traffic Corps Irjen Agus Suryonugroho as the Field Operations Commander. All Operation Ketupat 2026 officials attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, regional police chiefs and local coordination forum officials participated virtually to ensure central instructions were transmitted to the regional level.