Police Chief and Detective Unit Head in Rohil Removed Following Residents' Protest Over Drugs

The Panipahan police chief in the Rokan Hilir Police Resort area, Riau, AKP Robiansyah, has been removed following a residents’ demonstration demanding the arrest of drug dealers. Riau Police Chief Irjen Herry Heryawan confirmed that not only the police chief, but also the detective unit head at Panipahan Police Station, Aipda Rahmat Ilyas, has been removed. Herry emphasised that this step was taken because the station-level personnel were deemed not fully capable of maintaining optimal regional stability, leading to a situation that escalated into an uncontrolled action. The removal serves as a form of evaluation and institutional accountability for the developing public order dynamics in the community. “This is a form of our evaluation and responsibility. We saw that things were not running as they should in maintaining the public order situation in Panipahan. Therefore, we took firm action,” said Irjen Herry, quoted by detikcom on Sunday (12/4). Herry assured that Riau Police is not standing idle in responding to the incident. From the outset, the Rokan Hilir Police Chief, along with the Deputy Regent, went directly to the location to calm the situation by engaging in dialogue with community figures, religious leaders, and customary leaders. This was done as a quick effort to soothe the public and prevent further escalation. “We acted quickly from the start. The Police Chief along with the Deputy Regent went directly to the field, inviting community figures to dialogue and calm the situation. This is part of the approach we took to make conditions conducive as soon as possible,” he explained. Herry added that the handling efforts do not stop there. Today, Riau Police personnel along with the local government are again moving to the location to ensure stability is truly maintained. He stated that the situation in Panipahan has gradually recovered and public activities have returned to normal. Nevertheless, strengthening preventive measures and field supervision continues to maintain security stability. Herry also conveyed an appeal to all Panipahan residents to remain calm and not easily provoked by issues that could muddy the atmosphere. Previously, hundreds of Panipahan residents in Pasir Limau Kapas Subdistrict, Rokan Hilir Regency, held a protest action on Friday (10/4). The action, which initially proceeded peacefully, was triggered by public anxiety over the proliferation of drug circulation in the area. Around 150 people from the crowd first gathered at the Great Mosque of Panipahan, then proceeded to the Panipahan Police Station to voice their demands. During the protest, residents urged law enforcement to shut down all drug-related activities. They also demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators suspected as dealers and distributors, including a resident with initials M. After conveying their aspirations to the police and local government officials, the crowd dispersed. However, the situation heated up when some of the crowd moved to the home of a man with initials A, suspected of being a drug dealer. Upon arriving at the location, the crowd immediately threw objects and vandalised the house. The action became even more uncontrolled when the number of protesters swelled to around 500 people.