Viral: Police officer in Lampung gives naked homeless man his t-shirt and money to buy pants

Most homeless people in Indonesia, especially the naked ones, are treated with derision and are likely to get rounded up off the streets by government social agencies for rehabilitation. But one cop’s idea of serving the less fortunate, involving a personal act of charity to help another man cover up his shame, has struck a chord on social media.

Yesterday, photos showing a cop giving his shirt to a butt-naked man in the city of Bandar Lampung went viral online. In the original post, a citizen spotted the cop, named Edward Setia Putra, stopping and getting down from his motorcycle when he saw the unidentified naked hobo wandering one of the city’s main streets. Officer Edward then took out a white t-shirt from the storage compartment of his motorcycle and handed it to the man.

Nilai Manusia Ada Ketika Bagaimana Ia Hidup, Serta Apa Yang Telah Diperbuat Dengan Tugas Yang Diberikan Tuhan Kepadanya Pagi ini secara kebetulan, liat pak Polisi yang baik Hati, gak kepeduli mau kaya atau miskin, sehat atau sakit.. Sebelumnya saya liat pak Polisi ini sedang mengatur lalu lintas di Alfamaret Tugu Raden Intan.. tepat di depan dealer Suzuki Ahmad Yani saya melihat Pak Polisi ini menghentikan laju kendaraan motonya di depan orang yg sedang duduk di pinggir trotoar, orang tersebut tidak memakai pakaian (telanjang)/diduga terbelakang mental.. spontan saya langsung ikut menghampiri, Gak disangka Pak Polisi mengeluarkan Kaos dinas Polisinya dari bawah jok motor, dan memberikan kepada si orang tadi selanjutnya menyuruh orang tadi memakai pakaian tersebut, tidak selesai sampai disitu, Pak Polisi baik hati mengeluarkan uang dari dompet dan memberikan kepada orang itu, sambil berkata “Nih Beli Celana” *Kepedulian yang luar biasa..* Semoga menjadi ladang amal Pak.. dokumentasi didapat dan langsung saya kirimkan ke humas Polresta Bandar Lampung.. Salut buat anda, Polresta Bandar Lampung, Sosok Polisi Promoter Sejati #polisihebat #thebestpol #polripromoter #viral_berita @berita_polisi_terkini @multimedia.humaspolri @polisirepublikindonesia @polisi_indonesia @halo_polisi @humas_poldalampung @polresta_bandarlampung @infokyai @seputar_lampung @netizen_lampung

A post shared by Anisa Sari (@anisa.sarii) on Jan 22, 2018 at 12:25am PST

You might have noticed the homeless man was still left in a Donald Duck like state of half-dress in the second picture since the officer did not give him pants. Well, according to the original poster, Officer Edward also took some money out of his wallet and told the man to buy himself a pair of pants.

Officer Edward’s humane treatment of the homeless man was praised by many in the city, with the local police department capitalizing on the publicity by reposting the photos on their official Instagram account (cynicism aside, at least one homeless man now has a t-shirt and possibly a pair of pants too).

Kepedulian Aiptu Edward Setia Putra anggota Bag Sumda Polresta Bandar Lampung memberikan pakaian dan uang kepada orang yang diduga mengalami gangguan kejiwaan. Hal tersebut dilakukan nya saat melaksanakan Pam rawan pagi di jl. A Yani Bandar Lampung, Senin 22 Januari 2018. #polresta_bandarlampung #polisiindonesia #divisihumaspolri #halo_polisi #berita_polisi_terkini #polisi_lampung #polri @berita_polisi_terkini @polisi_indonesia

A post shared by Kapolda Lampung (@polisi_lampung) on Jan 22, 2018 at 12:42am PST

According to the police department’s post, it is believed that the man — whose identity is unknown — suffers from an unspecified mental problem (Indonesia has a severe lack of resources to treat the mentally ill).

Police officers in Indonesia have a reputation for being incredibly corrupt, but officers like Edward and Seladi, a cop who won the nation’s hearts by scavenging trash to make ends meet rather than accept bribes, show there are still those on the force that we can be proud of.