Clarification from Reform Commission: No Term Limits for National Police Chief

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Indonesian National Police Reform Acceleration Commission (KPRP) has issued a clarification stating that there are no restrictions on the term of office for the Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Kapolri) in the recommendations submitted by its committee to President Prabowo Subianto.

Nevertheless, KPRP Secretary General (Ret.) General Ahmad Dofiri stressed that the commission is only recommending a career progression or career path for becoming Kapolri.

“That’s the career path. So there are no term limits for the Kapolri position. The discussion in the commission was about regulating that career path,” Dofiri explained during a press conference in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (6/5/2026).

Therefore, the KPRP is pushing for improvements in the career system to ensure that potential Kapolri candidates have a solid track record.

Dofiri explained that the appointment of the Kapolri is relatively straightforward because it comes from high-ranking officers with three-star rank.

However, the challenge lies in ensuring that the career development process leading to that level is rigorous and measurable.

“Why? The rules are clear: the person who will become Kapolri must be ranked below the Kapolri. So who? Three-star,” he asserted.

However, for high-ranking officers (pati), these regulations need to be strengthened.

“The difficult part is how to ensure that the potential Kapolri is of high quality. So, selecting a three-star cannot be done carelessly. They must build their career from the beginning,” he clarified.

In the KPRP’s recommendations, prospective high-ranking officers must meet basic requirements, including a minimum of 25 years of officer service as well as advanced leadership education such as Sespimti, Lemhannas, or equivalent.

Assuming a retirement age of 58, an officer has about 11 years of service remaining upon entering the high-ranking officer level.

This time frame is considered crucial to be filled with diverse assignments to enrich experience.

“If 25 years, that means the officer graduated from Akpol or SIPSS at age 22. Add 25, so age 47. At 47, with retirement at 58 or maximum service age being retirement age, the remaining service time is 11 years,” he stated.