TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Police collect nearly Rp 5 billion in fines from COVID-19 protocol violators
As of Nov. 5, the police have slapped violators with fines over 82,000 times with a total value of Rp 4.8 billion.
Change Size
A man is forced to do push-ups by joint security task force personnel on Sept. 18, 2020 as punishment for his failure to wear a mask. The public punishment was part of a police operation designed to enforce COVID-19 health protocols in Cinere, Depok, West Java. Violators of the protocols are subject to fines or non-judicial punishments such as sweeping the roads, singing national songs or doing push-ups. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
he National Police collected nearly Rp 5 billion (US$351,729) in fines from violators of the government’s COVID-19 health protocols between Sept. 14 and Nov. 5.
The police were joined by the Indonesian Military (TNI) and local stakeholders to net health protocol violators through Operasi Yustisi, which aims to monitor and discipline the public over health protocols. The operation was carried out in several regions.
“As of Nov. 5, our joint team has slapped violators with fines over 82,457 times, with a total value of Rp 4.8 billion,” National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Awi Setiyono said on Sunday as quoted by tempo.co.
He went on to say that the police had handed the funds over to the state coffer.
Read also: From sweeping to digging, Indonesia gets creative in handling violators of COVID-19 protocols
In addition to fines, the police also issued nearly 10 million written and oral warnings, Awi said. The force also temporarily closed down nearly 2,000 businesses found to have violated existing health protocols.
Awi said the fines and sanctions were in line with Presidential Decree No. 6/2020 on the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols.
He warned that repeat offenders would eventually become subject to imprisonment.
“If [an individual] continues to violate [the protocols] despite having been warned multiple times, then like it or not, we will have to enforce the law,” Awi said.
Previously, the Jakarta administration reportedly collected around Rp 4 billion in fines from residents violating COVID-19 health protocols as stipulated in Gubernatorial Regulation No. 51/2020, which entered into force on June 4. (rfa)
