President Jokowi Orders Police to Restore Public Trust

President Jokowi gives directives to the high-level police officer, Friday (10/14) at the State Palace, Jakarta. (Photo by: BPMI)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered the Indonesian National Police to work hard to restore public trust to the institution.

The President made the statement in his directives to the ranks of the National Police, starting from the main officials of the National Police Headquarters, the regional police chief (kapolda), to the resort police chief (kapolres) throughout the country at the State Palace, Jakarta, Friday (10/14).

“In November [last year], public confidence in the police was still 80.2 percent, very high. But in August, (the index) was at 54 percent or down significantly. It’s a tough undertaking to restore public confidence in the institution following the current unfavorable situation,” said the President.

According to the President, before the shooting incident of former Head of the National Police Protocol and Security Division Ferdy Sambo, the police topped the Public Trust Index thanks to the hard work of the police in handling COVID-19 by injecting 440 million doses of vaccine so that the pandemic subsided and the economy could grow at 5.44 percent.

“But then, Ferdy Sambo’s incident happened, worsening the index, even falling to the lowest number. Previously, compared to other law enforcement institutions, the police’s index was the highest. Now, it is at the lowest rank. We must restore the trust with the hard work from all of you,” President Jokowi said.

The President also pointed out that the situation in all countries is not easy due to the global economic crisis, adding that 66 countries are in a vulnerable position and 345 million people in 82 countries already suffer from acute food shortages.

For this reason, the President reminded all ranks of the National Police to share the same sense of crisis and to pay closer attention to their lifestyle in order not to stir social jealousy and become public spotlight.

“I remind you all on the issue of lifestyle. Do avoid public explosions because of socio-economic jealousy amid this difficult economic situation. Be careful. I remind all high-ranking officers to refrain yourself from having luxury lifestyle issues. Don’t be arrogant and don’t show off your expensive cars or luxury motorbikes. Be careful, I remind you to be careful,” he underscored.

The President also stressed that today’s technology has caused a massive change in social interaction, adding that in this era, everyone can report events that occur anywhere on their social media, not just on TV, print media, or online media.

“I, too, get many reports regarding luxury lifestyle. It’s a small matter but it can disrupt trust in the police. The public is now paying attention to anything the police personnel wear and own such as car, motorbike, shoes, clothes, and others. That’s what we have to understand in this current trend,” he remarked. (FID/UN) (EST/EP)