Inspector General Dedi Prasetyo Discusses Restorative Justice Towards a Precision Police Force with the Faculty of Law
Restorative justice can be recommended as an approach in examining law enforcement cases in Indonesia.
"Restorative justice can take an approach that draws in cultural concepts and the traditional and everyday aspects of each region, containing the values of justice found in the philosophy of Pancasila — indeed, this has existed for a very long time," said Inspector General Prof Dr Dedi Prasetyo MHum MSi MM.
The senior police officer, currently serving as Assistant for Human Resources to the Chief of the National Police, spoke at a discussion of his book Restorative Justice: A Transformation Strategy Towards a Precision Police Force, held on the Unissula campus in Semarang on Monday (17/7/2023).
The former Head of Public Relations of the National Police (2021–2023) said that applying restorative justice reflects the police force's commitment to fulfilling the principle of a sense of justice.
The police place emphasis on prevention, guided by Police Regulation No. 8 of 2021 on Handling Criminal Offences on the Basis of Restorative Justice.
A clear legal umbrella gives law enforcement officers in the field greater confidence to act.
Restorative justice can also be a solution to various problems in law enforcement, such as overcrowding in correctional institutions, a less than ideal ratio between law enforcement officers and the number of cases, and the high cost of resolving a case.
"We cannot view the law merely by reading textbooks. For instance, when a poor person steals a pair of sandals, it cannot be seen solely through criminal investigation," he explained.
He added that restorative justice can also serve as an approach to decriminalising certain law enforcement problems, such as cases of insult on social media or other minor offences — theft, traffic accidents, and drug misuse, where those affected should ideally be rehabilitated.
"With this book discussion we are implementing the policy of the Chief of Police," he explained.
In his presentation he added that, within those rules on restorative justice, the spirit of restorative justice appears in the form of authority granted to community policing officers (Babinkamtibmas) to resolve disputes and conflicts within their areas that involve members of the community.
The Rector of Unissula, Prof Dr Gunarto SH MH, said in his address that Prof Dedi is a professor in the field of law at Unissula and is also registered as a permanent lecturer in the Doctoral Programme in Law.
Prof Gunarto added that the book offers new thinking on recovery and on delivering justice to victims of crime and to society, giving rise to a peace grounded in a combination of common sense and conscience through the restorative justice approach put forward by Inspector General Prof Dedi Prasetyo.
Among the respondents at the book discussion were Prof Dr Anis Mashdurohatun, Prof Dr Sri Endah Wahyuningsih, Prof Dr Hartiwiningsih, Prof Dr I Nyoman Nurjaya and Prof Dr Lazarus Tri Setyawanta.
On the same occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the National Police and Unissula in the fields of education, research and community service.
It is hoped the cooperation will benefit the wider Unissula community and the Indonesian National Police in general.