Indonesia is confronting transnational criminal threats through intensified security cooperation, weaving together bilateral pacts, regional frameworks and global partnerships to address drug and human trafficking, terrorism, cybercrime, and financial fraud.
Analysts attribute the shift to the increasingly complex nature of cross-border crime, including the convergence of threats such as narco-terrorism, online scams and money laundering, and the resulting need for collective action.
“Transnational crime today is no longer compartmentalized; it is hybrid, fluid and adaptive across borders. As a result, unilateral enforcement efforts are insufficient,” Adrianus Meliala, a criminologist at the University of Indonesia, told FORUM.
Jakarta integrates intelligence sharing, formal security agreements and engagement in regional entities such as Interpol and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) police chiefs’ group, ASEANAPOL, to strengthen cross-border policing. The Indonesian National Police says Interpol cooperation grants access to databases spanning more than 190 countries, supporting real-time information exchange as well as cybercrime and forensic training. ASEANAPOL facilitates joint regional operations against drug trafficking and terrorism, alongside coordinated training.
“Intelligence data sharing and formal agreements are required to improve the effectiveness of government efforts,” Muhammad Syaroni Rofii, assistant professor of international relations at the University of Indonesia, told FORUM. “Indonesia certainly hopes to gain as many partners as possible so that transnational crimes can be addressed collectively.”
Expanded cooperation with Malaysia and new security arrangements with Thailand reflect Jakarta’s push. Rofii said Indonesia and Thailand conduct joint operations and investigations to dismantle human trafficking networks and coordinate the evacuation of trafficking victims, while also engaging through the ASEAN Regional Forum framework.
Stanislaus Riyanta, an intelligence analyst and lecturer at the University of Indonesia, highlighted the operational logic behind such agreements, noting that “no country can handle it alone.”
“There are many forms of cooperation, but the most fundamental include information sharing — particularly intelligence — coordination efforts and agreements between parties as a foundation,” Riyanta told FORUM.
At the Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Council Meeting on Law and Security in Jakarta in January 2026, cyber and critical infrastructure protection was a central focus, building on a 2025 pact to strengthen cooperation in that arena. Ministers agreed to deepen collaboration against cybercrime through expanded information sharing, policy coordination and capacity building, including a cybersecurity exercise at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation. The initiative complements bilateral efforts on counterterrorism, maritime security, irregular migration and transnational crime, backed by joint training, operational coordination and intelligence sharing.
Rofii noted the emergence of online fraud as a global challenge that imposes significant financial losses on the state and society. He said Indonesia’s cooperation with Australia seeks to strengthen law enforcement capacity to safeguard data.
Expanded collaboration is critical, Riyanta noted. “Partnerships in combating cybercrime cannot rely solely on interstate cooperation or collaboration among state actors. The involvement of nonstate actors, who now play an increasingly significant role in the cyber domain, is also essential.”
Indonesia also is reinforcing cooperation with the United States. In February 2026, the U.S. Justice Department’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program and the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training concluded a nationwide series of asset tracing and recovery workshops with Indonesia’s National Police.
Since 2023, the program has engaged nearly 400 participants across Indonesia, advancing at least 14 public-sector financial crime cases and strengthening coordination between investigators and prosecutors. The initiative, funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, addresses emerging threats including cryptocurrency and includes digital forensics training.
“Capturing perpetrators is not enough,” Brig. Gen. Arief Adiharsa, deputy chief of the Indonesian National Police’s Corruption Eradication Corps, said in a news release. “The greatest challenge lies in pursuing, tracking, freezing and confiscating criminal assets. … This training is strategic because it equips the frontliners in the war against state financial crimes with the skills and knowledge to break the cycle of corruption and money laundering.”