DPR members push for strengthening Bhabinkamtibmas role through training
Jakarta (ANTARA) — Bimantoro Wiyono, a member of DPR Commission III, has urged strengthening the role of Bhayangkara Pembina Keamanan dan Ketertiban Masyarakat (Bhabinkamtibmas, or Police Community Security Builders) through training in community engagement approaches and the mitigation of legal issues.
During a hearing with the Police Maintenance of Security Agency (Baharkam) at parliament complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, Bimantoro stated that Bhabinkamtibmas officers are Police personnel in direct contact with citizens.
“Often in villages, people ask the Bhabin officers about issues. When there are legal problems, traffic violations, and so on, they always ask the Bhabin officer. This is why training should be included on how to address and mitigate legal issues in rural areas,” he said.
He noted that problems commonly occurring in communities should be solvable by Bhabinkamtibmas officers.
“These problems are usually the same — land disputes, misunderstandings between neighbours — these are small matters. These could still be mitigated,” he added.
“This is what must be done — training so that Bhabinkamtibmas officers truly have the knowledge of community development and security maintenance from village level,” he continued.
Bimantoro views Bhabinkamtibmas as having a strategic role amid dynamic geopolitical and domestic political conditions.
Bhabinkamtibmas is expected to maintain security so that no “sparks” emerge at village level that could disrupt national security stability.
With this strategic role, he highlighted the diverse backgrounds of officers.
“They come from various branches — not just from the Community Development [division]. Some previously worked in traffic, some in intelligence, some in narcotics, and some in investigation,” he said.
Bimantoro stressed that this situation requires centralised training so that all Bhabinkamtibmas officers have uniform understanding, particularly in community development.
“Training is extremely important as a foundation to ensure that Bhabinkamtibmas officers are competent in direct engagement and community development,” he said.
During the hearing, Police Chief Inspector General Karyoto, head of Baharkam, identified one obstacle in task execution: insufficient Bhabinkamtibmas personnel. Despite being a longstanding issue, it remains a current problem.
Moving forward, Baharkam Polri will optimise community development functions through achieving a ratio of one village/kelurahan per Bhabinkamtibmas officer, focusing not only on quantity but also personnel quality.
“In the short term, focus should not only be on quantity, but also on improving personnel quality, as we have mentioned — we want every Police officer to truly embrace the role of a helping police officer,” he said.
Additionally, he requested increased operational funding for Bhabinkamtibmas, particularly in disadvantaged, frontier, and outlying regions, from the current Rp1,430,000 per month.
According to him, a budget increase is necessary for work effectiveness. “It should be raised to Rp3,300,000 per month, comprising a daily rate of Rp150,000 multiplied by 22 days for meals and fuel, contact facilities, awareness campaign costs, and data package credits,” he explained.