A viral video showing an Indonesian police investigator allegedly tearing up a criminal investigation report has sparked outrage and renewed calls for police reform, presenting an early test for President Prabowo Subianto's administration.
The incident, captured on video and reported by Kompas, shows an officer at Cilandak Police Station in South Jakarta allegedly destroying an official report (Berita Acara Pemeriksaan or BAP) while saying "Here, I'll tear it up."
The brazen display, if confirmed, represents exactly the kind of behavior that many Indonesians suspect occurs behind closed doors but rarely see documented with such clarity.
Impunity and Police Reform
The video's most disturbing element is not merely the alleged misconduct but the casual confidence with which it appears to unfold. The officer's apparent lack of concern about consequences suggests a culture where such actions are considered routine rather than exceptional.
Indonesia's National Police have long faced accusations of corruption, evidence tampering, and preferential treatment for those with money or political connections. While democratic reforms since the fall of the Suharto regime have improved accountability in many areas, police reform has lagged behind judicial and electoral improvements.
Civil society organizations monitoring police conduct argue that isolated disciplinary actions against individual officers do little to address systemic problems. What's needed, they contend, is fundamental reform of police culture, accountability mechanisms, and political oversight.
Testing Prabowo's Commitment
For Prabowo, the incident presents an opportunity to demonstrate genuine commitment to law enforcement reform. The former general, who spent decades in military and security circles, brings both credibility and potential conflicts of interest to questions of security sector accountability.
In Indonesia, as across archipelagic democracies, unity in diversity requires constant negotiation across islands, ethnicities, and beliefs. But unity also requires equal justice under law—a promise undermined when police can allegedly destroy evidence with impunity.
The Cilandak case has particular resonance because it was captured on video, making official denials or cover-ups more difficult. Social media has transformed accountability dynamics in Indonesia, allowing citizens to document and share evidence of misconduct that might previously have been quietly suppressed.
Democratic Institutions Under Scrutiny
The incident will test whether Indonesia's democratic institutions can deliver meaningful accountability. The National Police Commission, an oversight body created during democratic reforms, has limited enforcement powers and depends largely on public pressure to compel action.
Police reform advocates are watching whether investigators face genuine disciplinary action or merely administrative transfers—a common practice that moves problematic officers to new jurisdictions without addressing underlying misconduct.
The broader challenge for Indonesia's democracy is ensuring that law enforcement serves all citizens equally, regardless of wealth, political connections, or social status. Video evidence of alleged evidence tampering provides a clear test case for whether democratic accountability mechanisms can overcome entrenched interests in the security establishment.
For the world's third-largest democracy, the credibility of democratic institutions ultimately depends on their ability to police themselves and deliver equal justice. The Cilandak case offers a stark reminder that institutional reform remains incomplete decades after democratic transition began.
