President Prabowo Subianto has established the Police Reform Committee to initiate improvements and reforms within the Indonesian National Police (Polri). This step follows continued reports of violence and human rights violations within the institution. The recent death of Affan, who was struck by an armored vehicle during a demonstration in late August, has fueled widespread public anger and calls for justice, with police reform emerging as a central demand.
Responding to this development, Dr. Achmad Munjid, Head of the Center for Security and Peace Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada (PSKP UGM), welcomed the initiative, provided that the reforms are carried out substantively.
“I believe we must all welcome the president’s initiative to reform Polri. The most important thing now, after the planning and formation of the committee, is ensuring that the reform is truly implemented and substantial, not merely a superficial program without meaningful change,” said Dr. Munjid in an interview at his office on Monday (Sep. 29).
Dr. Munjid identified five key areas in urgent need of reform within Polri: improvements to the police education model, strengthening human rights awareness, merit-based recruitment, institutional transparency and accountability, and the establishment of effective oversight mechanisms.
According to him, these measures are necessary because violent approaches continue to dominate police practices. This highlights fundamental issues in police education that need to be addressed.
On the issue of law enforcement and security, Dr. Munjid emphasized that policing should not primarily rely on violence. Instead, all officers, from the highest to the lowest ranks, must have a comprehensive understanding of human rights.
“The use of violence should no longer be the dominant, let alone the first, option,” he emphasized.
Equally critical, he noted, is reforming recruitment practices that have long been plagued by collusion and nepotism. He called for a strict merit-based system.
“If people must spend large sums of money just to enter the police force, then once inside, it seems only natural that they will try to find ways to recoup that money,” Dr. Munjid explained.
Transparency and accountability, he added, must be at the center of reform. The public often cannot demand accountability when police officers commit violations. He also reminded that the involvement of police in politics and business must be eliminated.
“If the police want to be professional, they must not serve as a political tool, nor as an instrument of business,” he warned.
Furthermore, Dr. Munjid emphasized that police reform must be carried out in conjunction with reforms of legal institutions and the broader justice system. Otherwise, the rule of law, originally intended as a central reform agenda, will remain an empty slogan. He cautioned that anti-reform forces continue to operate systematically.
For Dr. Munjid, public trust in the police is at its lowest point. Without substantial reform, rebuilding that trust will be extremely difficult. Should this trust continue to erode, Indonesia’s law enforcement will deteriorate further, posing a serious threat to the nation’s stability.
“Polri, including its leaders and officials, must wisely regard this reform as a golden opportunity to fulfill their professional responsibility with dignity,” he concluded.
Author: Leony
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Illustration: polri.go.id