Digital Policing Through Hashtags

Recently, hashtags have been circulating on the internet, creating campaigns to criticise the Indonesian Police (i.e., ACAB, 1312, PercumaLaporPolisi).Some of these hashtags have had a tangible impact in the real world, sparking demonstrations across Indonesia. One of the hashtags, Justice for Affan, marks one of the most prominent campaign voices in Indonesia, similar to Black Lives Matter, followed by violent demonstration that causes damage to property and casualties around Indonesia. While the impact is unavoidable, the Indonesian Police rarely respond to the issue online and primarily focus on offline responses (i.e., capturing demonstrators, increasing patrols, and implementing security measures). On the other hand, Police around the world were using hashtags to interact and communicate with the people. For example, the GMP24 is used by the Greater Manchester Police to give real-time news about incidents. People see it as one true platform for delivering real news, and #ProjGuardian is an initiative by the London Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police for tackling any sexual harassment cases, whose reports increased significantly by 41% (Solymosi,et al., 2018). This paper will discuss the use of hashtags as a guiding tool on social media and how it can be implemented through a procedural justice mechanism,drawing on previous studies.