24 February 2025
Christoffel Daniel Yesaya Tambunan
FH-USU PR: On Monday(24/2/2025), the Faculty of Law of Universitas Sumatera Utara (FH USU) held another Scientific Week for the 71st Anniversary of FH USU. This event was conducted in the form of a seminar featuring the Medan Metropolitan Police Chief, Kombes. Pol. Gidion Arif Setyawan, S.I.K., S.H., M.Hum. In this seminar, Kombes. Pol. Gidion presented strategies for criminal policy in tackling begal in Medan from the perspective of the Medan Metropolitan Police.
In his opening speech, the Dean of FH USU, Dr. Mahmul Siregar, S.H., M.Hum., reiterated the importance of FH USU Scientific Week, which traditionally invites alumni to strengthen their bond with their alma mater. He also highlighted that this event motivates students by showcasing the profiles of invited alumni throughout the week and providing new insights from practitioners on handling legal cases.
The seminar was moderated by Dr. Putri Rumondang Siagian, S.H., M.H., who also initiated the discussion. She began by providing an overview of the efforts to combat begal crimes in Medan, addressing issues such as the threat posed by begals, the questionable effectiveness of current countermeasures, and controversial statements from local officials, including the call for shooting begals on sight. During this introduction, she discussed whether such an approach is a viable solution or if a more comprehensive strategy is needed. She further explained that while the police do not have direct authority in formulating criminal policies, they play a crucial role in implementation, evaluation, and providing input for policy development. Putri then introduces the guest speaker for the seminar, Medan Metropolitan Police Chief Kombes. Pol. Gidion Arif Setyawan.
Next, Kombes. Pol. Gidion begins by explaining the term "begal," which originates from the Javanese language and means bandit or robber who ambushes victims on the road. He then outlines the key points of the criminal policy strategy for handling legal crimes, which include preemptive, preventive, and repressive efforts. The preemptive approach involves strengthening community relations through social engagement programs and collaborative security patrols with residents. The preventive approach includes installing CCTV cameras in crime-prone areas of Medan and implementing various early crime prevention programs. Lastly, the repressive approach involves taking direct action against perpetrators. Kombes. Pol. Gideon also highlights the challenges of public acceptance regarding police programs, which have received negative responses on social media.
The event continued with a response session by Prof. Dr. Ningrum Natasya Sirait, S.H., MLI., addressing Kombes. Pol. Gidion's presentation before the discussion session began. She highlighted the reality that victims of crimes often feel confused about how to respond to their situation. She also discussed the societal tendency to rely on personal connections with police officers when dealing with crimes like legal. In this regard, Prof. Ningrum questioned the police regarding their rapid response programs. Furthermore, she noted that while a police reporting application for quick response already exists, it has been deemed ineffective, as similar applications have been adopted by various regional police departments across Indonesia. As a result, these applications have become widespread without centralized integration under the Indonesian National Police.
During the discussion session, one of the student participants raised a question regarding the dealers in motorcycle theft (curanmor) cases, which are often linked to begal crimes. The student asked why public stigma in addressing motorcycle theft-related legal crimes tends to focus solely on the robbers themselves. They pointed out that the police's efforts in tackling motorcycle theft-related legal crimes should also consider the role of dealers within the community. Furthermore, the student inquired whether these dealers should be categorized as begal perpetrators or if they are granted some form of permission to operate within society, citing an example in the Medan Sunggal area.
Responding to the question, Kombes Pol. Gidion first emphasized that crimes are often interconnected, with dealers serving as an extension of motorcycle theft (curanmor) crimes. He explained that while dealing in stolen goods remains illegal, it is crucial to recognize that both motorcycle theft and dealing have their own ecosystems. He elaborated that this ecosystem involves how criminals (both motorcycle thieves and dealers) establish networks and collectively maintain control over certain areas. He provided an example of Kampung Bahari in Jakarta, where the crime ecosystem has even adopted technology such as drones to monitor the movements of law enforcement officers, including the police.
The event concluded with a closing speech delivered by Prof. Ningrum. She expressed her hope that the insights and explanations on tackling robberies in Medan, as presented by Kombes Pol. Gidion and the Medan Metropolitan Police would serve as an interesting discussion and inspire students to explore the topic in their final thesis.
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