In The Aftermath Of The Police Shooting Police, Legislators Encourage The Establishment Of An Illegal Mining Task Force

Photo by David Lev Marique on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Member of Commission III of the DPR RI, Abdullah encouraged law enforcement to cooperate with cross-institutions to form a task force (Satgas) to eradicate illegal mining activities. This was the aftermath of the police shooting police case in South Solok, West Sumatra, which was allegedly due to the closure of illegal mines, causing a police personnel to die.

"I ask President Prabowo Subianto to stop internal conflicts in handling this illegal mining, such as in South Solok. It could be with the establishment of a Joint Task Force for Handling Illegal Mining which is cross-ministerial and institutional," Abdullah said, Thursday, November 28.

Abdullah highlighted the problem of illegal mining or illegal mining without a permit (PETI) which caused state losses to reach around Rp 3.5 trillion for 2022 alone.

"That's why this task force is important so that there are no more lives lost due to illegal mining problems," he said.

As is known, the Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the South Solok Police, Kompol Anumerta Ryanto Ulil Anshar (34) was shot to death by the Head of Ops AKP Dadang Iskandar at the South Solok Police Headquarters some time ago. The motive for the shooting by AKP Dadang Iskandar against Kompol Anumerta Ryanto Ulil began with the victim who arrested the perpetrator of the excavation C mine in South Solok.

Reportedly the arrest made AKP Dadang Iskandar unhappy. The perpetrator opened fire on the victim to death in the South Solok Police parking lot. Apart from being prosecuted, Dadang Iskandar is now dishonorably fired from the National Police institution.

Abdullah said that the illegal anti-mining task force had actually been discussed for a long time since the era of the reign of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo. For this reason, he hopes that President Prabowo's administration can realize it because illegal mining problems have caused many problems in various aspects.

"I immediately addressed this to the President, Pak Prabowo, considering that the joint task force that was discussed from the previous government era has not yet formed and operates effectively until now," said Abullah.

Abdullah said the illegal anti-mining task force could contain representatives from agencies related to mining affairs or activities such as the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri), the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Forestry, the National Police, the KPK, and the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

"Of course collaboration must be with one goal so that there is no more sectoral ego and must really comply with the President's vision," said the legislator from the East Java VI electoral district.

Furthermore, Abdullah assessed that the issue of illegal mining must receive serious attention from the Government. Because the impact of illegal mining activities often causes horizontal conflicts in the community, even on the issue of backs' of the apparatus as allegedly happened in the police shooting police case in South Solok.

"The community's horizontal conflict is slowly but must have eroded national resilience," Abdullah said.

In addition to creating horizontal conflicts in the community, Abdullah also said that illegal mining also had a negative impact on environmental sustainability because unlicensed mining did not comply with the SOP.

"There have been many landslides, floods, conflicts between communities due to illegal mining activities, all of which have resulted in fatalities and not a few material losses," he said.

"I believe this environmental and social vulnerability will not be left by the President for a long time, because it is not in accordance with his aspirations to bring Indonesia strong," Abdullah added.

Regarding the police shooting case that occurred in the middle of an investigation into an illegal mining case in South Solok, a member of the Commission in the DPR in charge of law enforcement affairs appealed to the National Police to carry out periodic mental health checks for all its personnel. Especially, Abdullah said, for police officers who have the authority to hold firearms.

The goal is that members of the National Police can master emotions and control their guns. It is necessary to carry out periodic monitoring so that the seeds of arrogance can be detected from the start," he urged.

"The police shooting incident not only reflects internal problems in police institutions, but also highlights the need for more attention to mental health and stress management among police officers," added Abdulllah.

Research from Mulawarman University shows that police officers often experience higher stress levels due to heavy workloads, erratic working hours, and the high-risk situations they face every day. This stress can contribute to mental health problems and aggressive behavior, including improper use of firearms.

"So the police institution needs to provide a psychological support program for its members," he said.

Abdullah also assessed that education about stress management and mental health should be part of routine training for members of the police. Because this approach will build a supportive positive work culture within the Police, and can help reduce the stress of members and improve their work performance.

"Therefore, the police must have an effective monitoring mechanism so that members' actions can be accounted for," Abdullah concluded.