If you live in Depok and like to enjoy a nice relaxing game of billiards with your friends every now and then, you should know that there’s a chance the police might show up to test your urine for narcotics during your next game.
The Depok Narcotics Police raided a pool hall on Jalan Ridwan Rais in the Beji neighborhood of Depok early this morning.
Police forced all 55 visitors and billiards players in the venue to submit to immediate on the spot urine tests. Doctors and medical staff were brought along to administer the tests.
The police said they targeted the pool hall because there had been reports from the public that drug purchases were taking place there. However, no evidence of drugs were found by police at the scene.
Dwiyono said that similar raids would continue to take place randomly and regularly throughout Depok.
“This is done to make sure the security situation in Depok is always positive,” Dwiyono said as quoted by Tribunnews.
Obviously the police in Indonesia have the power to randomly make anybody submit to drug testing, and many Indonesians would argue that it’s fine because non-drug users have nothing to hide. But in many other countries, the police forcing somebody to urinate on command without having direct evidence of personal narcotics use would be considered a violation of personal rights. This kind of testing also involves the police treating large groups of people like criminals without evidence simply because of where they choose to hang out, which some people would say is pretty unjust. Just sayin’.
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