Analyst suggests strengthening Kompolnas through revision of Police Law
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Political analyst Boni Hargens suggests that strengthening the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) can be achieved through revisions to the Law on the Indonesian National Police (UU Polri), eliminating the need for new regulations.
He stated this in an official statement in Jakarta on Tuesday, explaining that Kompolnas should not be seen as a standalone entity separate from the Polri institutional ecosystem, but rather as an integral part of efforts to enhance police performance and institutional culture.
“Properly regulated Kompolnas will become a strategic partner for Polri, not merely an external and isolated oversight body from internal police dynamics,” Boni said.
He emphasised that positioning Kompolnas within the Police Law framework does not reduce its independence or weaken its oversight function.
On the contrary, he said, such regulation ensures Kompolnas has a strong foundation in a relevant context, namely optimising Polri’s role and functions within Indonesia’s developing democratic system.
“This is the essence of Kompolnas’s ideal role. These two positions actually reflect two different approaches to viewing the relationship between the oversight body and the supervised institution,” he said.
According to him, the first approach emphasises structural separation and independence, while the second prioritises functional integration and close coordination.
He stated that the choice between the two will greatly determine the future direction of Indonesian police reform, but a crucial point is coordination between Kompolnas and Polri at the implementation level.
He assessed that strengthening Kompolnas institutionally, in whatever regulatory form, would be meaningless if coordination mechanisms between the two institutions are not well-designed and implemented.
In practice, he continued, good coordination between Kompolnas and Polri covers various aspects, from exchanging performance information and data, mechanisms for delivering recommendations and follow-ups, to various strategic dialogue forums that allow both parties to discuss openly and constructively.
Previously, discussions on strengthening Kompolnas have been a topic among police and legal stakeholders in Indonesia.
The proposal for a specific law for Kompolnas was first raised by former Kompolnas Commissioner Poengky Indarti.
That suggestion was based on the view that Kompolnas needs a stronger and more independent legal foundation to carry out its oversight function over the Polri institution more effectively and independently.
Nevertheless, Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo opines that strengthening Kompolnas’s role is more appropriate by integrating it into the existing Police Law, rather than forming a new law.
General Pol. Sigit firmly stated that strengthening Kompolnas’s functions and role does not require the establishment of a new standalone law.
According to the Police Chief’s view, such strengthening is far more effective and targeted if integrated into the existing Police Law framework, which already has a solid legal foundation.