GIC: Public Trust in Police is an Invaluable Asset for Prabowo-Gibran Government

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Gerakan Indonesia Cerah (GIC) Coordinator Febri Wahyuni Sabran stated that under the Prabowo-Gibran administration, which is building a foundation of national public trust, the support of the Indonesian National Police (Polri), which is trusted by the public, is an invaluable asset. “A police force viewed positively by the majority of the public can become an effective social adhesive, especially amidst political dynamics often marked by tension and sharp differences of opinion between the government and critical groups in society,” Febri said in a statement received in Jakarta on Sunday. The statement was in response to a Kompas Research and Development survey showing public trust in Polri at 82.4 per cent, with 80.6 per cent of respondents assessing that Polri’s performance had improved. In the context of Indonesia undergoing a government transition and facing various socio-political challenges, she argued that Polri’s role as a stabiliser, protector of democracy, and partner to the community is becoming increasingly crucial and irreplaceable. Febri assessed that the improvement in Polri’s performance is a positive signal indicating that the Bhayangkara Corps has successfully undertaken a path of real and measurable self-reform in the public eye. She added that the high level of public trust in Polri provides strong social legitimacy for the police institution in carrying out its functions. “This legitimacy is not something that can be obtained instantly, but is the result of a consistent, measurable reform process whose benefits are directly felt by various layers of society,” she stated. Representing civil society groups, she argued that this achievement has very concrete relevance, where the success of Polri’s reform in public perception opens wider opportunities for strengthening cooperation between the police and the community in maintaining overall order and security. She stressed that trust is the most valuable social capital in the relationship between security forces and the community they serve. She affirmed her optimism that Polri has proven itself as an institution capable of being the backbone of societal and state stability on a sustainable basis. This view, she said, reflects civil society’s hope for Polri as a strategic partner, not merely a repressive authority. Febri said that when public trust is formed organically through real reform, the potential for cooperation between the police and the community in maintaining national stability becomes much greater and more meaningful for all stakeholders. The PRESISI concept (Predictive, Responsibility, and Transparency with Justice), according to her, has become the main blueprint for Polri’s internal reform under the command of the National Police Chief. She stated that this conceptual framework is designed to transform Polri from a reactive institution into a proactive one, from a closed one into a transparent one, and from one that merely enforces rules into one that enforces justice substantially. “The Kompas survey achievement serves as empirical validation that this concept does not merely reside at the level of ideas, but has produced changes that are genuinely felt by the wider community,” she said.