The Roles of the Indonesian Armed Forces and Police in Counter-terrorism: A Structural Functionalist Approach

Abstract

Terrorism is an extraordinary crime, and each government makes different attempts to combat it. Before the New Order era, Indonesia's military was mainly used for counter-terrorism issues. With the changing political landscape and nature of terrorism in Indonesia, the country has implemented a law enforcement approach covering a soft approach. The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) were tasked with the mission of counter-terrorism as part of military operations other than war, following their primary tasks and functions based on an amendment to the Terrorism Law (Law No. 15/2003). The TNI's involvement in counter-terrorism in Indonesia has elicited both support and resistance, with some institutions and the general public raising worries about potential human rights issues. Despite this, the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the TNI take different approaches to counter-terrorism, which are regulated by separate legal frameworks: Polri operates under Law No. 2/2002 that applies to the Indonesian National Police, whereas the TNI operates under Law No. 34/2004 that applies to the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The authors believe that the possibility of overlapping authorities between these entities may hinder Indonesia's success at counter-terrorism. As a result, it is essential to develop coordination and synchronisation among institutions that deal with terrorism issues, potentially through establishing a supervisory body or institution.

Keywords: Prevention, Terrorism, TNI, Polri, Differentiation.