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any in the general public have applauded the recent appointment of popular cop Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti as deputy chief of the Lampung Police, but others have also questioned the motive behind his promotion.

A circular issued by National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian on Krishna’s promotion was released on Friday evening. Krishna is one of 100 middle-ranking police officers throughout the country who received a promotion.

Many have suspected that Krishna’s promotion was due to his close relationship with Tito.

National Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul referred to the promotion as “regular rotation in the police institution”, and this has been confirmed by analysts of police affairs.

“There’s nothing unusual about the decision,” said Edi Hasibuan, a former National Police Commission (Kompolnas) commissioner who has set up his own center on police studies in Jakarta.

“It’s time for him [Krishna] to receive a promotion because he has accomplished so much in carrying out his duties,” he added.

Krishna was director of the Jakarta Police general crimes division prior to his promotion to deputy Lampung Police chief.

The social media-savvy cop attracted huge public attention following the terrorist attack in the Jl. Thamrin area of Central Jakarta in January this year as he regularly updated photos related to the incident to his private social media accounts.

Krishna is among the officers of the Jakarta Police and nationwide who have become popular for their success in fighting crime, although this may be thanks in part to his active role on social media.

He has also initiated and made popular the tagline and symbol of “Turn Back Crime”.

This has led to the establishment of the Jakarta-based Turn Back Crime anticrime community that works together with popular Korea-based messaging application LINE in the fight against crime in the city.

It has been suggested that Krishna’s fame has not endeared him to some of his colleagues and seniors.

His regular updates on his social media accounts, in addition to his frank gestures in commenting on queries from the press, have irked many within the police institution.

Despite the allegations that he has made maximum use of social media to promote himself, Krishna, however, is also known to have good relationships with many senior officers at the national level, including with Tito and his deputy Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan.

Police analyst Bambang Widodo Umar said the promotion of Krishna was a good move and would have a positive impact on his career.

Bambang, however, was curious to see whether Krishna, who is known for his outspokenness, will be as successful in carrying out his new responsibilities in charge of developing strategies and management as a deputy provincial police chief in Lampung.

“Pak Krishna is used to dealing with technical issues as an officer who has spent most of the time in the field. He can no longer do that as he is expected to develop the institution,” Bambang said. “Most importantly, he must give up his social media habit”.

Bambang questioned the system of police promotion as there are no clear and rigid indicators applied when it comes to measuring officers’ achievements.

“The existing practice opens the door to abuse of power because promotion can be made based on personal likes and dislikes,” Bambang said.

“It does not follow a merit system. It systematically follows the President’s way of promoting his subordinates by skipping candidates from different backgrounds,” he added.