National Police Chief: Active Officers May Hold Civil Positions, Provided Ministries Request Them
National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo has emphasised that the assignment of active National Police (Polri) members to civil institutions cannot be done unilaterally. According to him, such placements can only occur if there is a specific need and a formal request from the relevant ministry or agency.
Sigit made these remarks following the House of Representatives’ (DPR RI) ratification of the revision to Law Number 2 of 2002 concerning the National Police into a new law during a plenary session. “In principle, Polri has regulations regarding placement outside its structure. The requirement is that there must be a request from the ministry that requires police personnel,” Sigit stated at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 9 June 2026.
In addition to requests from the utilising ministries or agencies, the assignment of active police members to civil positions must also obtain approval from the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (Kemenpan-RB). Sigit noted that the process does not end at administrative approval; officers seeking civil roles must also undergo open selection processes or the applicable merit system.
“Secondly, it must also pass through the approval of the relevant ministry, in this case, PANRB, and must follow open bidding or the merit system,” Sigit said. He emphasised that these procedures serve as a guarantee against the arbitrary placement of police members in civil positions outside the police institution. “So, Polri does not simply place them; the process must be followed so it is not instantaneous. I believe this explains what civil society has been asking. If there is no request, Polri will not send anyone,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Law Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej explained that during the discussions on the National Police Law revision, the government and the DPR decided to remove the provision that previously listed 17 specific ministries and agencies that could be occupied by active police members. According to Eddy, the new approach focuses on functional suitability and duties directly related to police authority, rather than naming specific agencies. Under this scheme, active police members may be placed in ministries or agencies tasked with law enforcement, the maintenance of public security and order, and the protection and service of the community.