6 Recommendations from the Polri Reform Commission to Prabowo
The Commission for the Acceleration of Polri Reform has submitted its final report containing six recommendations to President Prabowo Subianto to improve the police institution. The 10-volume report was handed over at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, 5 May 2026. Commission Chairman Jimly Asshiddiqie stated that the document contains various policy reform options for the government and Polri.
“We report ten books covering the entire policy reform and policy alternatives to be implemented by the government and Polri,” said Jimly Asshiddiqie, Chairman of the Polri Reform Commission, after meeting President Prabowo.
Jimly explained that Law No. 2 of 2002 on Polri is likely to be revised to align with the recommendations from the Commission for the Acceleration of Polri Reform. “It has been decided that in that law, it will be submitted for the preparation process, and even now there is a draft law ready to be discussed in the DPR, where the new points from this Reform Commission will be included,” he said.
Since its establishment on 7 November 2025, the Polri Reform Commission completed the police report in three months. They conducted studies and met with stakeholders, including state institutions, civil society organisations, internal police elements, and visited several regions to gauge public aspirations.
Here are the six recommendations submitted by the Commission for the Acceleration of Polri Reform to Prabowo:
- Polri Remains Under the President
The Polri Reform Commission recommends that the police remain directly under the president. They do not recommend the idea of placing Polri under a ministry.
The Polri Reform Commission also concluded that a Polri ministry would bring more negative impacts than benefits. “The President asked about it earlier, we explained that our conclusion is that there is more harm than benefit, so we won’t propose it,” said Jimly.
Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who is also a member of the Polri Reform Commission, said Prabowo agrees that Polri should remain directly under the president, not a ministry. Therefore, said Yusril, the government will not establish a new ministry for Polri. The government also will not place the police under existing ministries, such as the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Strengthening Kompolnas
The commission urges strengthening the role of the National Police Commission or Kompolnas in overseeing Polri. One way is to propose that Kompolnas membership not be based on positions or ex officio from other government institutions, but independent.
Kompolnas will consist of nine people from elements of former Polri leaders, advocates, community figures, academics, and environmental experts. In this way, the Polri Reform Commission believes Kompolnas can truly oversee Polri and not just serve as a police spokesperson.
- Appointment of Kapolri Through DPR Approval
Jimly Asshiddiqie conveyed that there were differing opinions within his team regarding the mechanism for appointing the Kapolri. Some considered that the president’s appointment of the Kapolri does not need DPR approval.
Meanwhile, other commission members want DPR approval to remain necessary as it is currently. “We reported that difference of opinion (to President Prabowo),” said Jimly after the meeting with Prabowo.
The Polri Reform Commission then discussed the pros and cons of each opinion with Prabowo. As a result, Jimly said, the President agreed that the appointment of the Kapolri still requires DPR approval. “The President directed that it should remain as it is now. So the Kapolri is still appointed by the president with DPR approval as per current practice,” said Jimly.
- Limitation of Police Positions Outside Polri
The Commission for the Acceleration of Polri Reform proposes limiting positions for police outside the Indonesian National Police structure. Jimly said President Prabowo Subianto has approved the proposal.
“It was decided by the President that specific positions (that police can hold) must be determined limitatively. So not like now, without limits,” said Jimly after the meeting.
According to Jimly, police positions will be limited similar to military positions regulated in the Law on the Indonesian National Armed Forces or TNI Law. The limitation of police positions, he said, will be included in government regulations or laws.
- Institutional and Managerial Reform
The Commission for the Acceleration of Polri Reform also recommends improving bureaucratic governance within the police. Aspects that need reform include Polri’s institutional and managerial elements.
Institutional aspects cover structural, instrumental, and cultural fields. Meanwhile, managerial aspects include governance, leadership, supervision, and digital transformation. Internal improvements to Polri are considered important to respond to public complaints regarding law enforcement and public services.
- Regulation Revisions
To implement the above recommendations, the Polri Reform Commission recommends revising Law No. 2 of 2002 on the Republic of Indonesia National Police along with its derivatives such as Government Regulations and Presidential Regulations. The commission also encourages revisions to internal Polri regulations, including 8 Police Regulations (Perpol) and 24 Chief of Police Regulations (Perkap).
According to the Commission, regulation revisions are needed to carry out internal Polri reforms until 2029. In addition, a Presidential Decree or Presidential Instruction is needed to mandate Polri to implement and follow up on the Commission’s recommendations through short, medium, and long-term stages.