Bandung Police Chief Assures Safety Amidst Street Crime Concerns

Bandung, West Java (Jabar) is currently under scrutiny due to repeated alleged street crimes. Several posts on social media in recent times have claimed that Bandung is experiencing an emergency with street robberies (begal). A map showing areas prone to begal incidents has even circulated on social media, categorizing several areas in Bandung into four levels of vulnerability. Responding to this, Kapolrestabes Bandung Kombes Pol Dedi Supriyadi denied the narrative being built on social media, including the vulnerability map. "Regarding the map that is circulating, which divides the areas of Bandung City into red, yellow, or green categories, first, I say it is not from the police institution. Second, I will fully protect this Bandung City, protect every inch of Bandung City, by presenting the Polri (Indonesian National Police)," Dedi said at the Mapolrestabes Bandung on Tuesday (21/7). "Yes, I repeat, by presenting the Polri in the midst of the community to guarantee a sense of security itself," he added. Dedi also urged residents to remain calm and not be provoked by issues of street crime that have gone viral on social media. He assured that the police have anticipated this by conducting regular patrols during vulnerable hours. Dedi did not deny that begal incidents do occur in Bandung City. However, according to Dedi, there were also traffic accidents and murders that were narrated as begal incidents in Bandung City by some members of the public. On that day, Mapolrestabes Bandung released 19 suspects related to street crimes apprehended by the police. They were arrested for a total of 15 street crime cases during July 2026. "Regarding the 15 street crimes that are very troubling for Bandung City, first, 8 cases of motorcycle theft. Then, 6 cases of theft with violence, and from these 15 cases, we have successfully apprehended 19 perpetrators with various types of sharp weapons that you can see, as well as 11 motorcycles," he said. Dedi stated that not all incidents exposed on social media are purely street crimes. Some of them are hoax news that has been verified during investigation checks. "When the public reports street crimes, not all of them, not all of them, or not as presented by the public, contain truth. For example, some time ago there was an accident, a single-vehicle accident, where a teenage child had a single-vehicle accident, their motorcycle was damaged, and of course there were injuries, minor injuries, but they were reluctant to go home and claimed to have been mugged," he said. Dedi said that the current condition of Bandung City is safe and conducive. The public is welcome to carry out their activities as usual. "We urge the residents of Bandung City not to worry, not to feel anxious anymore, especially for Bandung residents themselves or for those who will be vacationing in Bandung City," he said.