West Java Police Chief Warns Against Vigilantism Amid Governor's 'Begal' Bounty
The West Java Police Chief, Inspector General Pipit Rismanto, has given a positive assessment of the bounty scheme for catching muggers initiated by the Governor of West Java. According to him, there is nothing wrong with using it to motivate residents in maintaining public security and order.
Nevertheless, the Police Chief reminded the public not to take the law into their own hands when facing perpetrators of crime.
“Yes, we welcome it. This shows that the Governor also wishes to motivate all residents to participate in maintaining public security and order,” said Pipit after attending the declaration of the Sort Your Waste from Home movement in Bandung on Friday (24/7).
He expressed hope that the bounty could curb the current tendency of residents to prioritise using their mobile phones to record or make incidents go viral rather than providing real assistance in emergencies. According to him, the scheme is a form of encouragement for the public to be more caring and proactive in their own neighbourhoods.
However, Pipit stressed that law enforcement against crimes such as muggings remains the responsibility and duty of the police.
“Earlier the Governor said this means everyone who is not working should go straight on neighbourhood security patrol. If they come across a mugger, catch them, hand them over to the police, then the police will report to the Governor on the resident’s assistance, so they can receive a bonus from the Governor,” he said.
Meanwhile, when asked about street crime figures, West Java Regional Police recorded an average clearance rate of 65% for mugging cases throughout last year.
“We are optimistic that this figure can continue to be improved this year,” he said.
As is known, the Governor of West Java, Dedi Mulyadi, is offering rewards to residents who successfully catch muggers or other criminals. Those who catch and hand perpetrators over to the police will receive between Rp5 million and Rp50 million.
In response to concerns from several parties that residents might flock out at night to hunt criminals, Dedi assured that the scheme would not trigger horizontal conflict within the community.
He stressed that the cash rewards come with mechanisms and requirements so they cannot be misused by residents.
“Yes, only those who meet the qualifications and have been named suspects by the district police will be rewarded,” he said.
According to him, the cash reward will only be given once the perpetrator has gone through the proper legal process at the police.
Dedi even explicitly prohibited any vigilante actions during the arrests.
Consequently, he added, perpetrators handed over to the authorities must be in a normal condition and must not have suffered serious injuries from physical violence.
“If they are handed in battered and bruised, then no. They may not be handed over in a battered state. A few scrapes may be acceptable, but if they are battered and bruised, we will not give the reward,” he said.