Kompolnas backs police to thoroughly investigate forest and land fire cases
The National Police Commission (Kompolnas) supports the Indonesian National Police (Polri) in comprehensively investigating forest and land fire (karhutla) cases, including tracing the parties most responsible, from individuals to companies.
Kompolnas Commissioner Choirul Anam said in a statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday that law enforcement against forest and land fires must not stop at perpetrators on the ground, but must target actors who bear greater responsibility for the occurrence of the fires.
“Kompolnas gives full support to our police colleagues to carry out law enforcement against this forest fire problem, and supports not stopping at field actors,” Anam said.
According to Anam, individuals and companies proven to be most responsible for or involved in forest and land fires must be sanctioned through the applicable law enforcement mechanism.
“We provide support for a more comprehensive investigation, and the actors who are most responsible, whether individuals or companies, must receive sanctions within our law enforcement mechanism,” he said.
Anam assessed that firm law enforcement is necessary as a form of state presence in addressing the recurring problem of forest and land fires. He said forest and land fires not only cause immediate problems in the form of fire and smoke, but also have the potential to become a recurring problem if the root causes are not addressed.
“Because this happens often. Some time ago it happened, then it happened again. Under the pretext of clearing land more cheaply and so on,” he said.
Therefore, Anam assessed that the police, as one representation of the state, need to be present with a firm stance towards anyone responsible for forest and land fires.
He stressed that law enforcement is not only aimed at extinguishing fires and reducing the impact of smoke in the short term, but also at preventing similar incidents from recurring.
“This is not only for now, the interest is to extinguish the fire, reduce the smoke, but also to ensure that the same problem does not happen again,” Anam said.
Kompolnas, he continued, supports the police in taking action against anyone proven responsible for or involved in forest and land fires, whether individuals or companies.
“So it is important for anyone who is responsible, anyone who is involved, whether individuals or companies, to face law enforcement,” Anam said.
Previously, the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police firmly took action against environmental crime perpetrators by naming 72 people as suspects in forest and land fire cases in nine provinces, based on data as of 23 August 2026.
The handling measures that led to the naming of suspects began with a process of monitoring fire hotspots and direct verification in the field, followed by extinguishing efforts and an upgrade of status to the investigation stage.
From the distribution of cases handled by regional police forces, the highest number of fire hotspots was found in West Kalimantan, reaching 2,282 points, followed by Riau with 1,201 points. Officers also seized a number of pieces of evidence in the field, including 35 lighters, bottles and jerry cans containing fuel, tools such as machetes and hoes, and oil palm seedlings.
The perpetrators of the burning are now charged under Law Number 41 of 1999 on Forestry, with a maximum criminal penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to Rp5 billion for perpetrators of crimes committed intentionally.
Director of Specific Crimes (Dirtipidter) of Bareskrim Polri Brigadier General Mohammad Irhamni stressed that this law enforcement will not stop at field actors alone. “We will continue to pursue all perpetrators or people who ordered the act and all parties who profited from the crime of forest and land burning,” Irhamni said.