Optimizing the Role of Law Enforcement Officers in Realizing Social Stability

Sarbini¹, Rodhi Agung Saputra², Alya Annisa Rahman³

^1,2,3 Faculty of Law, University of Lampung, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia

ABSTRACT: Social stability is an important foundation in the development and welfare of society. In this context, the role of law enforcement officials plays a crucial role in maintaining order, justice and security. This study aims to examine the urgency and impact of optimizing the role of law enforcement officials in realizing social stability. By digging into the literature and analyzing case studies, this research shows that law enforcement officials have a multidimensional role which includes fair law enforcement, crime prevention, social conflict management, and prosecution of organizational crimes and corruption. The optimization of their role has a significant impact on social stability. In the context of crime prevention, this study found that law enforcement officers who are actively present in the field and carry out patrols can prevent criminal acts from occurring. In addition, consistent and fair law enforcement also helps encourage compliance with the law. Law Enforcement Officers are a manifestation of the will of the people, therefore they must pay attention to the interests of the people and carry out the functions of public service and regulation of citizens. One of its functions is to realize social stability for Indonesian citizens. The problems to be discussed in this study are related to optimizing the role of law enforcement officials in realizing social stability. The research method used in this study is a normative research method using a statutory approach and a case approach and will be analyzed using content analysis.

KEYWORDS: Optimization, Law Enforcement, Social Stability

INTRODUCTION

Using historical perspectives, conceptions of social stability and social order since the days of Nusantara, Colonialism and Indonesia. Stability and social order built on  processes of consensual conflicts will result in a system far more sustainable and viable, rather than buildings built on icons of nationalism. This perspective provides a critique of Benedict Anderson and Ernest Renan who tend to consider the fragmentation of national units to be a building of stability and social order. Social stability itself is a balance in a situation where problems are occurring but remain in position and can change according to circumstances. One of the problems that often occurs in Indonesia is the rampant juvenile delinquency in Indonesia, such as drug use in teenagers, brawls between students, and anarchist motorcycle gangs that make the community restless, unrest is because they carry sharp weapons and create riots and damage.

Therefore, optimization is needed from Law Enforcement Officers to control these legal events as described in Law Number 11 of 2012. About the juvenile criminal justice system. In addition to the occurrence of juvenile delinquency, the low economy in Indonesia is also a problem that needs attention by Law Enforcement Officials. The reason is, almost every crime committed begins because of the low economy of the perpetrator which makes the perpetrator eventually commit the crime.

Overcoming social stability, Law Enforcement Officers implement several programs to strengthen nationality and character as an effort to realize national stability in the social field. The program is realized by improving the quality of public education so that people have an open mind about the importance of social stability in Indonesia and have concern for social stability issues in Indonesia. In addition, the transmigration program is also taken by the government so that the level of population equality in Indonesia is evenly distributed. Sanctions against perpetrators have also been given by the government to have a deterrent effect on perpetrators and provide a sense of security to the community. The government has made many preventive efforts to prevent social imbalances and other social problems, but all of these have not been enough to reduce the problem of social stability in Indonesia, because the large population in Indonesia makes it difficult to distribute the population and difficult to get adequate facilities. Another factor is the wide social gap and makes people who have a low economy commit crimes such as stealing, robbing, and killing. So in my opinion, the first step that must be taken to realize social stability must begin with good population equality and the provision of complete and equitable facilities, so that there is no social gap that is too far in Indonesia. And will minimize the occurrence of social stability. Based on the description above, the problem in this study is how to optimize the role of law enforcement officers in realizing social stability.

RESEARCH METHODS

The research method used is a normative research method, namely research conducted by examining library materials or secondary data, using the approac statuteapproach related to Optimizing the Role of Law Enforcement Officers in Realizing Social Stability. The statute approach examines matters concerning legal principles, legal views and doctrines, and laws and regulations related to what matters affect social stability, what are the elements to achieve social stability, and how to optimize law enforcement officials in realizing social stability

 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Optimizing the Role of Law Enforcement Officers in Realizing Social Stability

Social stability is a balance in a situation where problems are occurring but remain in position and can change according to circumstances. This social stability refers to the situation that occurs in society, where the social institutions in it function properly and complement each other. The institutions in question are economic, political, educational, family, and religious institutions, which are reflected in socioeconomic equity, equal employment and business opportunities, equal rights and obligations, and the ability to manage conflicts. The existence of every institution in a functioning society will be able to sustain the lives of its community members. Durkheim divided this social stability into four patterns: the first pattern of the existence of a social contract in traditional European societies; the second pattern of happiness in the world in individuals; The third pattern, in the political field when the democratic system is more dominantly controlled by the ruler; And the fourth pattern is about the affairs that individuals have personally by letting go of all mindsets that exist in the past.

A stable and healthy social system as well as natural resources and the environment are the basis for economic activity, while economic welfare is a prerequisite for the maintenance of socio-cultural stability as well as the preservation of natural resources and the environment. Unstable or diseased social systems will tend to cause actions that damage the sustainability of natural resources and damage environmental health, while threats to the sustainability of natural resources and the environment can lead to chaos and social ills. At present it seems that handling social problems will not work well if we are only passive to the various bad social conditions that we can see and only rely on the performance of the government or state to solve them. Broad community participation needs to be built in order to be involved in social actions so that there is synergy between government efforts on the one hand and community strength on the other. In addition, community involvement in improving social conditions can simultaneously have a positive impact, namely the emergence of forces based on community participation and responsibility to be more creative, independent, as well as critical and resistant to the factors that cause the emergence of social problems so that it is hoped that society as an integrated system can create a better life order.

Optimizing the role of law enforcement officials has an important role in maintaining the social stability of a country. Here are some steps you can take to optimize their role in this:

1. Capacity Building and Quality: It is important to improve the capacity and quality of law enforcement officers through ongoing training and education. They need to have a deep understanding of law and law enforcement procedures, as well as effective investigative and prosecution skills.
2. Transparency and Accountability: Law enforcement officials must operate with the principles of transparency and accountability. People must have confidence that they are working fairly and impartially, and are responsible for their actions. Internal and external control mechanisms should be implemented to ensure compliance with codes of ethics and professional standards.
3. Fair Law Enforcement: It is important for law enforcement officials to perform their duties with justice and without discrimination. They must crack down on lawlessness regardless of the social, economic, or political status of the perpetrator. Fair law enforcement will build people’s trust in the justice system and contribute to social stability.
4. Collaboration and Coordination: Law enforcement officials need to work with other agencies, such as government agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector, to effectively address crime and social insecurity. Good collaboration can enhance the exchange of information, resources, and experience, and strengthen overall law enforcement efforts.
5. Prevention and Counseling: In addition to cracking down on violations of the law, law enforcement officials must also play a role in crime prevention efforts and violations of the law. They can involve the community in legal counseling programs, awareness campaigns, and community activities to increase public understanding of the law and prevent violations from occurring.
6. Responsive to Social Change: Law enforcement officials must be able to respond quickly and appropriately to social change. They need to understand evolving social challenges and trends, such as technological developments, cybercrime, or changing crime patterns, and adapt their law enforcement strategies according to the evolving social context.

By optimizing the role of law enforcement officials through these measures, it is hoped that social stability can be maintained and improved. This will create a safe, fair, and stable environment for people, as well as strengthen their trust in the justice system. One example that affects social stability is Indonesia, which is part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of Twenty, which participates in implementing sustainable economic development. However, in macroeconomic developments, it still experiences constraints on employment, thus impacting unemployment. This condition will affect the welfare of the community which in turn can lead to disruption of social and political stability.   Social changes will continue as long as there is interaction between people and between communities. Social change occurs due to changes in the elements that maintain the balance of society, such as changes in geographical, biological, economic, and cultural elements. Social change in society cannot be seen from one side only, because this change can cause shifts in many sectors in social society. This means, social change will always occur in every part of society itself. Symptoms of social change in society can be seen from changes in the value system and norms that prevailed at that time and which no longer apply in society. Of course, this social change occurs not only because individuals in the society are willing to change, but because of the development of various sectors, especially technology.

The Indonesian government implements several programs to strengthen nationality and character as an effort to realize national stability in the social sector. The program is realized by improving the quality of community education. In addition, the transmigration program is also taken by the government so that the level of population equality in Indonesia increases.    The face of law in Indonesia is currently faced with complex problems in the law enforcement process. In fact, Law Enforcement Reform is the answer to how the law in Indonesia is driven in the context of the formation of the aspired state of law. Law enforcement reform is ideally carried out through a legal system approach, which includes a legal substance subsystem, a legal structure subsystem, and a legal culture subsystem. In the context of law enforcement institutional reform, institutional reform should ideally be based on three main orientations, namely democratic principles, rule of law, and human rights. Such institutional reform must be carried out by changing the paradigm from textual legal thinking to progressive legal thinking. This can be realized if law enforcement institutional reform is consistent in bringing changes in cultural aspects originating from changes in structural aspects and instrumental aspects.

Law enforcement officials play an important role in maintaining social stability. The following are some of the ways in which they contribute to the goal:

1. Control: Law enforcement officials act as control mechanisms to ensure that individuals and groups comply with societal laws and regulations.
2. Social Engineering: Law is also used as a tool for social engineering, which involves shaping the behavior of individuals and groups in a way that benefits society as a whole.
3. Welfare: Law enforcement officials also play a role in promoting social welfare by protecting the rights of citizens and ensuring that justice is served.

The government encourages law enforcement officials to be more selective in law enforcement, especially related to the interpretation of the Electronic Information and Transaction Law. The government has provided recommendations to support the judiciary and other institutions in creating official interpretation guidelines for the ITE Law to ensure justice is upheld and the law is not used in a way that negatively impacts society.

With the rule of law, it is hoped that order or community life order is born that is harmonious and just so that law  enforcement officers can play a role in maintaining state stability. Fourteen years after Indonesia’s reform, legal development has been one of the main agendas, but Indonesia has not been able to get out of various legal problems, and even caught in irony as one of the most corrupt countries. Research that raises issues about the current condition of law enforcement is carried out using the literature method. From the results of the study, it can be seen that the achievements of law enforcement have begun to be seen in recent years, although there are still some problems on various sides. One important thing that must be considered in implementing legal development, namely the law must be understood and developed as a unified system in which there are institutional elements, legal material elements, and legal culture elements.

CONCLUSION

Based on the description above related to Optimizing the role of law enforcement officials has a high urgency in realizing social stability it can be concluded that law enforcement officials, such as the police, prosecutors, and judicial institutions, have an important responsibility in maintaining order, justice, and public security. Here are the reasons why optimizing their role is so important for social stability. Law enforcement officials have a duty to ensure that the law is enforced fairly and equally for all citizens. This helps prevent the emergence of feelings of dissatisfaction and injustice that could undermine social stability.

By conducting patrols, investigations and prosecution of crimes and violations of the law, law enforcement officials can prevent disturbances to security and stability in society. Law enforcement officials have a role in reducing and dealing with social conflicts. They can apply the law firmly and fairly to avoid escalating conflicts that could threaten stability. Through good law enforcement, law enforcement officials help protect human rights and ensure that unlawful acts do not harm certain individuals or groups.

Optimizing the role of law enforcement officials in combating organizational crime and criminal acts of corruption helps maintain public trust in government institutions and businesses. When law enforcement officials consistently and decisively act on violations of the law, this can encourage people to comply more with laws and regulations. Social stability is also closely related to public trust in law enforcement officials. If people feel that the law is properly and fairly enforced, this can increase their sense of security and trust in the government. Law enforcement officials have a role in empowering the community to participate in maintaining security and order. Collaboration between the community and law enforcement officials can create a safer and more stable environment.

By maintaining order and security, law enforcement officials also help prevent radicalization and extremism that can disrupt social stability. In optimizing the role of law enforcement officials, it is important to ensure independence, accountability and ethics in their actions. Collaboration with other government agencies, civil society organizations and the general public also needs to be improved to create an environment that is conducive to sustainable social stability

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