Indonesia Eyes Police Reform by Allowing Civilian Professionals Into Polri
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- Indonesia’s police chief has endorsed a proposal to allow civilians to occupy non-operational roles within Polri as part of broader institutional reform efforts.
- The policy is based on a reciprocity principle, reflecting the existing practice of police officers serving in civilian government positions.
- Officials say the move could strengthen governance, improve professionalism, and align Polri with democratic standards seen in other countries.
Jakarta — National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo has affirmed that civilian professionals may be appointed to certain positions within the Indonesian National Police (Polri), particularly in non-operational roles, as part of a reciprocal governance principle.
“Yes, we are indeed providing space, based on reciprocity, for civil servants to enter Polri,” Sigit said after attending the opening of the third congress of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) in Jakarta on Sunday.
The four-star general expressed support for the proposal, framing it as a matter of equal treatment. He noted that police officers have long been given opportunities to hold positions outside the Polri structure.
“When we are given opportunities to serve outside our institution, we should also open opportunities for civil servants from outside Polri to contribute within it,” he said.
The principle of reciprocity refers to mutual exchange, where policies or actions are balanced between parties through equivalent treatment.
During a judicial review of the Police Law at the Constitutional Court in 2025, former Indonesian Military Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS TNI) chief Soleman Ponto, serving as an expert witness for the petitioners, revealed that at least 4,351 police officers currently occupy civilian posts.
Within the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections (Imipas), for example, at least three high-ranking police officers hold strategic roles: Director General of Corrections Insp. Gen. Mashudi, Director of Immigration Supervision and Enforcement Brig. Gen. Yuldi Yusman, and Inspector General of the ministry Comm. Gen. Yan Sultra Indrajaya.
Earlier, Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai proposed revising Law No. 2/2002 on the National Police as an opportunity to strengthen professionalism and institutional governance by allowing civilian professionals to occupy key non-operational positions within Polri.
Pigai explained that such roles would not involve core policing functions but would focus on strategic support areas such as administration, planning, human resources management, finance, inspectorate, personnel, digital transformation and organizational governance.
“I propose that one of the revisions to the Police Law should include provisions allowing civilians to fill certain key positions within Polri. These would be roles unrelated to core policing duties, such as administration, finance, inspectorate or personnel,” Pigai said in Jakarta on Friday.
He argued that involving civilian professionals in these strategic roles aligns with practices in many modern democratic countries.
Moreover, the policy is seen as supporting ongoing police reform efforts aimed at shaping Polri into a professional, modern and democratic civilian institution.
Pigai added that such a move would help create balance in public governance, considering that police officers have long been able to occupy strategic positions across ministries and state institutions.
“If police officers can serve as officials in civilian institutions, ministries and agencies, then it is only fair that civilians are also given the opportunity to hold key positions within Polri,” he said.
Indonesianpost.com | Antara
