Police Integrate Face Recognition into ETLE to Catch Traffic Violators Using Fake Plates

The Traffic Corps of the Indonesian National Police has begun implementing facial recognition technology within its Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement (ETLE) system. This innovation is designed to identify traffic violators who attempt to deceive officers by using fake number plates or vehicles without registration plates.

Director of Law Enforcement for the Traffic Corps, Brigadier General Pol I Made Agus Prasatya, confirmed that the application of this advanced technology is a direct instruction from the Head of the Traffic Corps, Inspector General Pol Wibowo. The measure responds to Traffic Corps data from the first half of 2026, which recorded 16,812 violations related to number plates. The majority, or 77.24 percent of these violations, were committed by motorcyclists.

According to Agus, the facial recognition technology works by scanning the driver’s face on the road and automatically matching it with the population database belonging to the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration. ‘With this system, the driver’s identity can still be identified even if the vehicle uses a fake number plate, the plate is covered, or it is not installed,’ Agus stated in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Beyond tightening the accuracy of law enforcement on the roads, the integration of facial recognition technology is expected to support the police in investigating street crime cases. Furthermore, the system ensures that violation confirmation letters are sent precisely to the offending party. Despite the increasingly stringent digital surveillance, the Traffic Corps continues to deploy Highway Patrol personnel and Law Enforcement Sub-directorate officers at vulnerable points in a humane manner.

Agus emphasized that issuing fines is not the police’s primary objective, but rather an effort to build public discipline and compliance in driving. ‘We are not proud of taking enforcement action. Law enforcement is the last resort. What we prioritise is public compliance through the ETLE system and the use of technology so that safety, order, and legal certainty on the road can be realised,’ he concluded.