Polri Traffic Corps Chief Claims He Never Slept During Mudik Security Operations

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Head of the National Police Traffic Corps (Kakorlantas Polri), Inspector General Agus Suryonugroho, admitted to having almost no rest time during the implementation of Operation Ketupat 2026. “He (the National Police Chief - ed) only just found out that the Traffic Corps Chief never slept during the operation,” Agus said during a media gathering at the Jakarta State University Sports Hall, Rawamangun, Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta, on Thursday (7/5/2026). He stated that the previous Operation Ketupat 2025 was described by the President as the “best operation in history”. That assessment, Agus said, posed a challenge for the Traffic Corps in the following year. “I was asked by the National Police Chief, ‘Mr Kakor, the 2025 operation went well, can it be maintained?’. ‘With your permission, Mr Police Chief, I cannot maintain it, what I can do is improve it’,” he said. According to Agus, the mudik traffic flow last year was the highest in history. In one day, 270,315 vehicles were recorded leaving Jakarta towards Trans Java, Trans Sumatra, and West Java regions. Despite the increased vehicle volume, Agus assessed that traffic flow remained controllable because information from the police and stakeholders was quickly conveyed to the public through the media. He emphasised that the indicators of the operation’s success are not merely vehicle speed, but traffic safety and smoothness. “So, Alhamdulillah, in Operation Ketupat 2026, we were also able to reduce the fatality rate of deaths by 31.39%. This is an extraordinary figure. Including a reduction in accident incidents by 5.31%. These are part of the indicators,” he explained. According to Agus, the security for Operation Ketupat does not only focus on traffic but also ensures that a series of community activities during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr run safely, including Nyepi celebrations. He mentioned there were five security clusters during the operation: arterial and national roads, toll roads, transport hubs such as ports, airports, terminals, and stations, places of worship, and tourist locations. According to him, around 3.5 million vehicles exited Jakarta via toll roads during the mudik flow, while around 3.4 million vehicles returned to Jakarta during the return flow. That number does not include vehicles passing through arterial routes or alternative paths.