Observers Appreciate Police Shift in Approach During 27 August Protests
Syaufuan Rozi, a Senior Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), noted a paradigm shift in how the Indonesian National Police (Polri) managed public aspirations during the protests on 27 August. He observed that security forces demonstrated an improved ability to read the character and dynamics of the crowds present.
“In yesterday’s action, the crowd was divided into three sessions: morning, afternoon, and night. The night session was where ‘anarcho’ groups were active,” Rozi stated during a Civil Society Coalition discussion titled ‘Polri: The Spearhead of Democracy: 27 August Action Remained Safe and Peaceful’ in South Jakarta on Wednesday (2/9/2026).
He assessed that the police have studied various patterns and applied different approaches to the various groups involved in the demonstrations. According to him, this serves as a vital asset in ensuring that the expression of public aspirations remains within democratic corridors.
“This means the police clearly understand which aspirations are official public grievances and which groups intend to exploit those grievances. This is the point of the police acting as the spearhead in safeguarding democracy,” Roely concluded.
In addition to praising the handling of the protests, Rozi also shared views on mitigation strategies against ‘Anarcho’ groups, who are often accused of triggering chaos during mass actions. He suggested that conflict management should not always involve direct confrontation between the masses and security forces.
“The police have certainly detected these groups. My advice is that when Anarcho groups are present, authorities can mitigate conflict by not providing space for confrontation. One alternative is to withdraw troops so they lose their opponent. This could be part of a conflict mitigation strategy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Public Policy Observer Faisal Lohy expressed appreciation alongside several important notes regarding the police’s performance during the 27 August security operations. Lohy objectively assessed that the police played a major role in maintaining democracy through the protection of public expression.
“I can say fairly that during the 27 August action, Polri played a full role and acted as the spearhead in maintaining democracy. The fact that the action proceeded safely and peacefully is a success for the police,” said Faisal.
However, he emphasised that there is still work to be done, particularly regarding the capability for early detection of groups potentially inciting riots.
“The important note is that the conclusion of many public expressions often results in chaos and riots. This means the police’s early detection of rioting groups still needs evaluation. This is what must be continuously pushed in the performance evaluation of security forces,” he explained.
Faisal also highlighted the heavy flow of information on social media, which is seen as a factor that can increase mass escalation during demonstrations. He noted that information spreading wildly and massively on social media can influence the situation on the ground, necessitating stronger preventive and pre-emptive measures from security forces.
“The preventive and pre-emptive steps of the police are indeed working amidst such massive information on social media. Nevertheless, early detection capability must remain a vital part of ongoing evaluations,” Faisal added.
On the other hand, democracy activist and discussion moderator Fauzan Ohorella viewed the handling of the 27 August protests as a form of commitment by security forces to safeguard democratic space and the freedom of the public to express opinions. According to Fauzan, the security approach implemented by Polda Metro Jaya and Kodam Jaya showed a shift in the pattern of managing demonstrators.
He assessed that the prioritised persuasive approach was a key factor in keeping the situation conducive.
“The handling of the action on 27 August was a form of commitment by the authorities to guard the people’s democratic agenda. We should also show appreciation to Polda Metro Jaya and Kodam Jaya,” said Fauzan.
Fauzan emphasised that the state has an obligation to guarantee the public’s right to express opinions, while simultaneously ensuring that no specific groups exploit democratic space to commit acts of violence or create unrest.
“The persuasive approach used in securing the 27 August demonstrations was a good step that deserves our appreciation. Such an approach shows that security and democracy can go hand in hand,” he concluded.