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Dispersing vigilante groups among their duties: Depok Police
The head of the Jaguar team of the Depok Police in West Java, First Insp. Winam Agus, said that he never expected his team’s effort to disperse members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), who were about to conduct a “sweep” in the satellite city, would go viral.
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Islam Defenders Front (FPI) supporters march toward the Jakarta Police headquarters in South Jakarta. (kompas.com/Akhdi Martin Pratama)
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he head of the Jaguar team of the Depok Police in West Java, First Insp. Winam Agus, said that he never expected his team’s effort to disperse members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) hard-line group, who were about to conduct a “sweep” in the satellite city, would go viral.
In the video, dozens of members of the FPI's South Jakarta chapter were seen carrying weapons, including sharpened bamboo sticks, to use, they initially claimed on camera to police, to stop violent motorcycle gangsters from roaming in the city.
The video has been shared on some social media platforms and has gained considerable public attention.
Winam said that the special team formed to deal with gangs had frequently carried out similar measures to disperse groups or organizations that could potentially create unease among citizens through their vigilantism.
“That’s indeed part of our duty, but maybe the public was unaware of it until the FPI video went viral. We previously carried out the same measures against the PP [Pancasila Youth],” Winam said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.
He explained that mass organizations did not have any authority to conduct raids in the name of upholding justice because the job belonged to the police.
“They don’t have any right [to conduct raids],” he said. (fac)
