Jakarta – In what critics are calling a blatant display of contempt for the city's authorities, the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader visited the Jakarta Police headquarters Friday to offer the group's services in enforcing a city bylaw that bans some entertainment establishments from operating during Ramadan.

"We will protect the police and public order officers by enforcing the bylaw. We are ready to face thugs who stand in the way of these law enforcers," FPI leader Habib Rizieq told reporters after the meeting.

Rizieq promised that his organization would not conduct any raids. "We will just tip off the police about entertainment places that remain open in spite of the ban."

He said he had made a commitment with the police and the city administration that the group would not engage in violence, and to punish any FPI member who violated the pact.

Jakarta police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar declined to comment about the offer, but welcomed the FPI's commitment to not engage in violence. Boy said that like normal law-abiding citizens, FPI members could only report violations of the law to the police.

Despite the assurance, the public remain concerned that a notoriously violent group are attempting to involve themselves in the police duty of maintaining security.

The FPI has a long, mostly unchallenged record of carrying out violence and sometimes deadly raids in Jakarta, including against entertainment establishments during Ramadan. They have also been involved in shows of force in closing down houses of worship belonging to minority groups.

"This will bring chaos to the city as everyone now has the right to enforce the law according to their own understanding or belief," Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan said.

Azas said that such a partnership was evidence of the authority's inability to protect the public. "It is [the police's] job not the groups' to ensure the security of the people."

He said he was saddened by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo's recent move to agree to cooperate with the hardliners to enforce the law.

Meanwhile, Legal Aid Foundation director Nurkholis Hidayat said the coalition "supports violence and harasses the public's rights". "These groups are known for their violent acts. Who can ensure they will not go out of control," he said.

He warned that the move could lead to legal uncertainty among the public as everybody would try to take the law into their own hands.

Before the FPI, the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) visited the police headquarters Thursday and offered a similar service.

The groups said they wanted to help the authorities enforce a 2004 city bylaw that says that nightclubs, discotheques, spas, massage parlors and bars should cease operations entirely in Ramadan.

Other entertainment centers, like karaoke establishments and live music venues, are required to limit their operating hours. According to the Indonesian Association of Entertainment Businesses, 1,300 entertainment permits have been issued to 400 establishments in the city.

The FPI has a long, mostly unpunished record of carrying out violence and sometimes deadly raids in Jakarta.