The rapid growth of digital media has transformed the way public institutions communicate with society. Information about public services, policies, and institutional responses can now be delivered through text, photographs, infographics, and short videos. Instagram is particularly useful because its visual and interactive features allow institutions to present information in concise formats while maintaining direct communication with audiences.
For the Indonesian National Police, digital communication is especially important because public perceptions of the institution are shaped not only by direct experiences with police services but also by information encountered through digital media. According to Hafiz's study, public-service messages need to answer basic questions that people may have: What is the service for? When should it be used? How can people access it? And what happens after a report is submitted?
Making Polri 110 Easier to Understand
One of the services highlighted in the study is Polri 110, a national telephone access channel for reporting incidents or requesting police assistance. The service covers situations such as criminal incidents, accidents, disasters, public-order disturbances, and other circumstances requiring police assistance.
The article explains that the service is available 24 hours a day, free of charge, and designed to be accessible, with reporting supported by a system for recording and monitoring complaints. However, simply providing the service does not automatically mean that the public understands when and how to use it. Effective communication therefore becomes an important part of public-service delivery.
Hafiz examines the communication strategy using the advertising appeal framework associated with Belch and Belch. The analysis focuses on three approaches: rational appeal, emotional appeal, and humor. Rather than treating them as separate techniques, the study finds that Divhumas Polri integrates them throughout content planning, visual production, editing, and publication.
Rational Appeal Provides Facts and Reasons
The first approach is rational appeal, which provides factual information and explains why people should use Polri 110.
One example analyzed in the study is an infographic titled “Kita Saling Jaga, Jangan Ragu Hubungi Call Center Polri 110” or “Let Us Protect Each Other, Do Not Hesitate to Contact the Polri 110 Call Center.”
The content highlights practical information, including the service's 24-hour availability, free access, ease of use, responsiveness, and protection of the reporter's identity. Images of call-center operators are also used to provide a more concrete representation of the service.
This approach means that audiences are not simply asked to remember the number 110. They are also given reasons to use it when they need police assistance. Information about accessibility and reporting procedures can help reduce uncertainty before people make a report.
Emotional Storytelling Brings the Service Closer to People
The second approach is emotional appeal, which uses storytelling to connect the service with real-life situations that audiences can recognize.
One example is a 2-minute-56-second video titled “Tas Berisi HP dan Uang Hasil Jualan Dicuri, Penjual Es Degan Dermawan Lapor ke 110”. The story portrays a citizen who experiences theft and subsequently contacts Polri 110. Police officers respond to the report, arrive at the location, and direct the victim to file an official report.
According to the study, this storytelling format makes Polri 110 more than simply a telephone number. It presents the service as an access point connecting members of the public with police assistance.
The sequence of events also creates an emotional connection because audiences can see a recognizable social problem followed by an institutional response. Hafiz's analysis indicates that this approach helps communicate empathy, closeness, and a sense of security while presenting police services in a more human-centered way.
Humor Captures Attention Before Delivering the Message
The third approach is humor, which is primarily used to capture attention before introducing the main public-service message.
The study examines a 53-second video titled “Layanan Polisi 110.” The video begins with a man witnessing a theft but choosing to record the incident and intending to make it viral instead of reporting it.
The scene uses exaggerated expressions and an unexpected appearance by a policewoman to create a humorous opening. The content then shifts toward an educational message: rather than simply recording or making an incident viral, people should report criminal incidents through Polri 110.
The study therefore identifies humor as an entry point to education rather than the main purpose of the content. The creative opening attracts viewers, while the subsequent message provides practical information about the appropriate reporting channel.
Three Approaches Form One Communication Strategy
The central finding is that rational, emotional, and humorous appeals function as a complementary communication architecture.
Rational content addresses the public's need for facts and information. Emotional storytelling demonstrates why the service matters in real-life situations. Humor addresses the challenge of capturing attention in a fast-moving social-media environment.
The study also finds that visual production is not merely decorative. In rational content, information hierarchy and call-center imagery help improve clarity and credibility. In emotional content, characters and narrative sequences make experiences more tangible. In humorous content, facial expressions, timing, surprise, and audiovisual transitions help maintain audience attention.
From the perspective of institutional image, the communication strategy contributes through several interconnected dimensions. Clear information can support public understanding of the service. Emotional storytelling can portray police officers as present in situations faced by citizens, while humorous content presents a communication style that is more compatible with contemporary social-media practices.
However, the study does not quantitatively measure how much each communication approach changes public opinion. The contribution to institutional image was identified through content analysis, interviews, observation, and theoretical interpretation.
Implications for Public-Service Communication
The findings offer a practical perspective for public institutions communicating through social media. Public-service information does not necessarily have to be presented in a rigid or highly formal format. Substantive information can be delivered through infographics, storytelling, and creative short videos as long as the essential message remains clear.
For Divhumas Polri, the study recommends maintaining factual information about the function, accessibility, benefits, and reporting procedures of Polri 110 across different content formats. Emotional storytelling can be developed through carefully selected real-service experiences, while humor can be used proportionally to attract attention without overshadowing the main service information.
The study also highlights the importance of protecting public privacy and maintaining factual and procedural integrity when using real-life service experiences as storytelling material.
Future evaluations could go further by measuring audience understanding, trust, perceptions, engagement, and intention to use Polri 110. Such measurements would complement the qualitative findings of the current study and provide quantitative evidence regarding audience responses.
About the Author
Hamzah Hafiz is affiliated with the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta. His article examines public-service communication, the Polri 110 service, Instagram-based public relations, and institutional image. The journal article does not specify the author's academic degree.
Research Source
Article Title: Strategy for Communicating the POLRI 110 Service Message by the POLRI Public Relations Division through Instagram @DIVISHUMASPOLRI to Maintain the Image of the POLRI
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