Boni Hargens: Public Trust in the National Police Is a Priceless State Asset

Political analyst Boni Hargens has stated that public trust in the National Police (Polri) is a priceless state asset, while criticising a recent international survey that scored the institution poorly on corruption perceptions. Data compiled by IndexMundi Global Surveys through its Police Corruption Perceptions Index gave Polri a public distrust score of 7.56, a figure considered high on the index scale. The survey measures how corruption is perceived by the public towards law enforcement agencies and public institutions across various countries. The measurement used is subjective, based on how corruption is felt by the public rather than on verified crime data. This is acknowledged by IndexMundi itself, implying that public perception is the main variable determining a country’s ranking. Social context, level of news exposure, and historical trust in police institutions in each country also influence the final results.

Senior political analyst Boni Hargens assessed that the research is highly subjective and therefore has serious weaknesses in terms of accuracy and scientific methodology. ‘The lack of methodological clarity makes it difficult for readers to assess the empirical weight of the research,’ Hargens said in a press statement on Monday. He highlighted that without transparency regarding sampling methods, the number of respondents, geographical distribution, and data verification mechanisms, a perception survey cannot serve as a strong scientific reference. This ambiguity opens wide room for interpretative bias, both from parties wishing to use the data to attack certain institutions and from those who would dismiss it defensively.

Hargens also did not dismiss the possibility of an agenda behind the production of such data. In an era of intensifying information warfare, influence operations, and proxy wars within the contemporary geopolitical landscape, the accusation that IndexMundi is part of a global conspiracy to weaken Indonesia’s democratic image by cornering its strategic institutions is something that cannot simply be ignored, although Hargens did not confirm this directly. Beyond the debate over motives, his methodological critique serves as an important reminder for the public and policymakers that consuming data from international survey institutions, especially those concerning the sensitivity of state institutions, requires adequate data literacy and a proportional critical attitude.