JAKARTA: The National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) has suspended the use of sirens and strobe lights in their escort vehicles following mounting criticism over their excessive and inappropriate use.
Several videos showing police escort cars as well as government and private cars that use loud sirens and flashing strobe lights have made rounds on social media last week, with people expressing their frustration over the arrogance of these vehicles and how they often disrupt the traffic flows.
People on social media said vehicles with lights and sirens often demand priority on roads even when there is no urgency to do so or they are not in an emergency, disrupting the flow of traffic and exacerbating road congestion.
The hashtag “stop tot tot wuk wuk”, which resembles the sound coming from sirens, has been trending on social media, with people demanding that the facilities should be prioritised only for emergency purposes, such as ambulances, firefighters or rescue vehicles and hearses.
Responding to the demand, Korlantas chief Insp Gen Agus Suryonugroho told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that the police have now “temporarily suspended their usage for all police escort vehicles, with exceptions for the services they provide for the President and Vice President, foreign dignitaries and heads of state institutions”.
The police can still use sirens and strobe lights for traffic patrols.
“We also urge people not to install sirens and strobe lights [illegally] on their cars,“ Agus said.
Under the 2009 law on traffic and road transportation, red strobe lights and sirens are only for the fire brigade, ambulances, rescue vehicles, prisoner transport vehicles as well as armed forces escorts and hearses.
Meanwhile, blue lights and sirens are only for police vehicles.
The yellow lights, which should not be used with sirens, are used for toll road patrols, vehicles for traffic monitoring and maintenance, towing vehicles and special freight transport. Those whose vehicles are found with rotator lightbars and sirens installed illegally could face a maximum one month in jail or Rp 250,000 (US$15.02) in fines.
The police, however, would not yet impose sanctions against violators but only urged them to remove the sirens and strobe lights from their vehicles, Agus said.
Rio Octaviano, founder of Jakarta-based NGO Road Safety Association (RSA), said the rampant misuse of these devices were caused by weak enforcement of the traffic law.
“Now the authorities seem to respond more seriously.
That means there is progress, but it should not stop at issuing a warning on violators," Rio said, suggesting the police should impose sanctions according to the 2009 law.
Last week, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said his office had once sent a circular to all state officials advising them to not use unnecessary lights and sirens for their escorts.
He said public officials “should respect other road users” and that their escorts should not make other road users uncomfortable, Antara reported. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
