Head Of BNN: Prevention Steps To Fight Drugs Are More Effective Than The Death Penalty

JAKARTA - Head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) of the Republic of Indonesia Police Commissioner General Martinus Hukom said preventive measures to eradicate drugs were more effective than giving the death penalty for dealers or drug trafficking perpetrators.

According to Martinus, BNN is not affected by the death penalty which is no longer a basic crime, but rather a special crime in Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code or what is often known as the new Criminal Code, which took effect in January 2026.

"So, for me, progressive rules are not just punishing the body or punishing death, but more human cognitive management so that humans have awareness," Marthinus told ANTARA in Jakarta, Thursday, October 24, which was confiscated by Antara.

Martinus explained that the essence of punishment is to provide a deterrent effect, but it turns out that so far those who have been sentenced to death due to drug trafficking cases have not stopped others from committing these crimes.

Therefore, another step is needed to eradicate drug trafficking and one of them is to manage the cognitive community.

The head of BNN explained that to manage cognitive or based on empirical factual knowledge from the perpetrators is very important so that they can further find out what factors influence them to commit narcotics crimes.

There are many aspects that can be seen, such as economic conditions, family, and others, so that in these points you actually have to be fostered to make it better.

"In the current prevention, we are looking at the development of families, the environment, education. Then BNN approached them with a social approach, life skills (experts to live), and others," he said.

He explained that the steps were being taken by BNN in a number of villages that were concentrated or indicated to be the center of drug trafficking.

"If we develop the community consistently so as not to become perpetrators of narcotics crimes, it will be much easier to eradicate drugs in the future," said Martinus.