Not Only the Police, Now the Army Is Also Joining the Hunt for Robbers

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.COM — The emergence of motorcycle robbers in recent times has spurred authorities into action, not only the police but also the army in pursuit. The unease over the motorbike-riding hijackers rose after a police officer, Brigadier Arya Supena, was shot dead by robbers in Lampung on 9 May 2026. In response, Lampung Police Chief Inspector General Helfi Assegaf instructed his personnel to shoot the perpetrators on the spot. The problem is not limited to Lampung; the robbers have also operated in other areas, including Jakarta, endangering lives and causing injuries and the loss of property. “From the arrests, 173 suspects have been secured,” said Head of Public Relations of the Metro Jaya Regional Police, Commissioner Budi Hermanto, at a press conference at Metro Jaya Police Headquarters on Friday (22 May 2026). The TNI has also joined in the hunt for the robbers. Defence Minister Sjafri Sjamsoeddin even said one reason for forming 750 new battalions across the country was to tackle this form of crime. “I want to touch on briefly, what is the benefit of a development territorial infantry battalion? What did we see before such battalions existed? Previously there were no troops in the districts. What happened? These criminal robbers are very significant,” the Defence Minister said during a DPR Commission I meeting in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (19 May 2026). He added that the tasks of development territorial battalions include patrolling around with vehicles prepared by the defence industry. “Building neighbourhood security systems, ‘siskamling’, which had declined and then revived. This relates to crime.” “We have conducted joint patrols from the grassroots level. The units involved include not only Koramil and Kodim territorial units but also the combat battalions,” said Lieutenant Colonel Arh Noor Iskak, Head of Information at Kodam Jaya, at a press conference at Mapolda Metro Jaya on Friday (22 May 2026). Iskak said the involvement of the TNI is to support Jakarta’s security together with the Begal Hunters Team formed by the Directorate of General Criminal Investigation, Polda Metro Jaya. “Thus, the presence of authorities in the community is hoped to provide a sense of safety and to serve as a manifestation of the state’s presence in protecting the people,” he added.