Yusril Urges West Java Police to Boost Patrols Amid 'Begal' Bounty Controversy

Jakarta, VIVA – The Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services (Menko Kumham Imipas), Yusril Ihza Mahendra, has asked the West Java Regional Police (Polda Jabar) to increase patrols, following the controversy over the bounty scheme for catching muggers launched by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi.

“I am asking the National Police, particularly Polda Jabar, to increase security patrols, especially in areas suspected of having frequent mugging incidents that have spread fear among the public,” Yusril said in a statement on Sunday, 26 July 2026.

According to him, increasing patrols is important to give the public a sense of security while also carrying out the police’s function of maintaining security and public order, protecting the community and enforcing the law.

In addition to requesting increased patrols, Yusril also asked the National Police to strengthen public education on mugging prevention measures and on how to report suspected crimes to law enforcement.

He said the public should be invited to participate in safeguarding neighbourhood security, but always within the bounds of the law.

“That way, people will not be driven to take the law into their own hands. Maintaining security is a shared responsibility, but law enforcement must still be carried out by the authorised officials,” he said.

He also affirmed that the state is obliged to protect every citizen.

Victims of mugging, he said, must receive protection for their lives and property as part of the human rights guaranteed by the constitution. However, even perpetrators of crimes retain the right to be processed through the applicable legal mechanism.

“They must be captured alive, tried fairly, and sentenced proportionately by a court. They must not die from being beaten by a mob beyond the limits of humanity. Such acts are also human rights violations that must be prevented,” he said.

Furthermore, responding to the idea of awarding a prize to those who catch muggers if the perpetrator is proven guilty, Yusril said its implementation is not as simple as imagined.

According to him, proving someone guilty of a crime is the authority of the courts, not the public or law enforcement. That legal process takes a relatively long time because it must await a legally binding court verdict.

“It could be that those who catch muggers end up disappointed because the promised reward is never given, since it must still await a legally binding court ruling, even up to the Supreme Court,” he said.