Police Get Down on the Dance Floor to Keep the Peace, and for MURI Record

Solo. Besides serving and protecting the people, Indonesian police have also been known to take matters to the dance floor.
Central Java police recently set an Indonesian record in Solo, Central Java by playing campursari music for 66-hours non-stop, successfully smashing the previous continuous concert record of 33 hours.

The police preformed a rendition of campursari — a combination of several musical genres — at the 66th Bhayangkara (Police Anniversary) Celebration. Thirty-three groups from several regional police offices in Central Java also joined in the three day, three night performance.

The people of Solo were invited to watch for free in a performance that was also recognized by the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) as a world record of a Culture Masterpiece, according to MURI manager Sri Widayanto.

Dancing cop Norman Kamaru seemed to have set the bar for police officers taking to the stage as a side job (though he was eventually fired for his extracurricular activities). Group performances by the police are also becoming more popular.

On Sunday, the Yogyakarta police performed the “Traffic Dance” as part of the Bhayangkara celebration. And two weeks ago, female officers (known as Polwan) in Surabaya, East Java, staged the “Remo Dance” during Surabaya’s anniversary celebrations.  
But the police’s gyrations aren’t just for the stage. Cops also danced to calm protesters who rallied against fuel price hike plan on March.  

“Thanks police, we know that you’re also against the fuel price hike plan, but you have to escort the rally because of your job,” a demonstrator in Surabaya said in March.

Female officers also performed the traditional Maluku “Poco-poco dance,” accompanied by a performance of the popular East Java song Iwak Peyek during a demonstration at the East Java Legislative Council (DPRD) office in March.

And in yet another alternative policing tactic, Bandung police officer Brig. Agus Wiratmoko who is known as the “floating cop,” performed a magic show to win the heart of the demonstrators.

Antara