Wednesday, 17 June 2026
MEDAN | INDATANEWS.COM ~ The city of Medan is once again under sharp scrutiny. In recent weeks, a series of street robbery (begal) cases have emerged almost without pause. A mi pecal vendor was attacked by a group of armed robbers wielding sharp weapons and was forced to flee for safety.
In another location, a group of perpetrators robbed a victim's motorcycle under threat of violence. A high school student was also reported to have been targeted in an attack involving an electric shock device.
In the Belawan area, public anxiety over the rising wave of street robberies has triggered demands for patrols and firm action. Members of the Medan City Council have also urged the implementation of a night curfew in vulnerable areas, along with intensified police patrols. These incidents point to one undeniable fact: street crime is not an isolated occurrence but an expanding pattern.
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When residents begin referring to Medan as a "wild west city," the expression stems from genuine fear. Streets that should serve as spaces for economic activity and mobility are turning into zones of threat. People returning home from work at night, vendors leaving early in the morning, students traveling alone, and schoolchildren commuting all feel vulnerable. A modern city must not allow a situation in which safety depends on luck.
The problem of street robbery is not merely about vehicle theft. It is a symptom of a deteriorating security ecosystem. There are on-the-ground perpetrators, fencing networks, neglected high-risk areas, known dangerous hours, and a growing confidence among criminals that the risk of arrest is low. When robbery groups dare to carry sharp weapons, electric shock devices, and operate in groups, it signals increasing criminal boldness as the deterrent effect of law enforcement weakens.
Living Under Threat
The public's question is entirely valid: where are the security forces? The police have certainly conducted enforcement actions, investigations, arrests, and patrols. However, the key measure is not press conferences after incidents occur, but prevention before citizens become victims. If cases continue to recur across different parts of the city, the public will perceive the state's response as lagging behind the perpetrators.
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The most serious danger in this situation is the emergence of vigilante justice. When people feel that the state is slow or absent, social frustration may find its own outlet. Perpetrators caught by crowds risk being beaten, dragged, or even burned alive. Such actions are clearly illegal and dangerous, but they also reflect a psychological root: society is frustrated by living continuously under threat.
Ironically, when crowds react, the first reminder given is for citizens not to take the law into their own hands. While this principle is correct in a rule-of-law state, the government cannot merely lecture citizens while failing to provide basic safety. People pay taxes—vehicle taxes, income taxes, VAT, local levies, and other legitimate charges. The most fundamental return expected from these obligations is security in public spaces.
The situation is further complicated by other crimes, including the theft of iron infrastructure, cables, drainage covers, and other public assets. These so-called "metal thieves" damage urban infrastructure and reinforce the impression that public spaces are losing protection.
What Medan needs is not rhetoric, but a measured security operation. Night patrols must focus on hotspots and vulnerable time windows. Motorcycle theft fencing networks must be dismantled to their roots. City surveillance cameras must be integrated into a rapid response command center. Police posts in high-risk areas must be active, not merely symbolic. At the same time, social approaches addressing vulnerable youth, drug abuse, and street gangs must be implemented simultaneously.
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Medan is a major city, a commercial hub, and the gateway to North Sumatra. It does not deserve to be labeled a "wild west city." However, if street robbers continue to dominate the streets while residents are left to endure fear alone, that stigma will only grow stronger. The state must act swiftly, decisively, and visibly. Otherwise, what will be lost is not only property, but also public trust in the legal system. (IDNC)
By Dr. Farid Wajdi, S.H., M.Hum
Founder of Ethics of Care, Member of the Judicial Commission (2015–2020), and Lecturer at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU).
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