National Police Chief and Attorney General Affirm Solidarity Between Institutions
National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo and Attorney General ST Burhanuddin have jointly asserted that the relationship between the Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the Attorney General’s Office remains solid. Meeting at the Attorney General’s Office in South Jakarta on Monday, both leaders confirmed there are no issues between the two law enforcement institutions.
The meeting took place after Sigit first visited TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto at the TNI Headquarters. The Police Chief and his entourage arrived at the Attorney General’s Office in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, at around 3:17 PM Western Indonesian Time and were welcomed directly by Attorney General ST Burhanuddin and his staff.
The Police Chief was accompanied by Deputy Police Chief Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo, along with several other high-ranking officials from the National Police Headquarters.
Sigit stated that Polri and the Attorney General’s Office have agreed to maintain solidarity down to all levels of their organisations. He stressed that there are no problems between the two institutions.
“I can confirm here, especially as we are present together with the Attorney General and all principal officials of the Adhyaksa, and I am accompanied by the Deputy Police Chief and principal officials of the National Police Headquarters,” Sigit said. “We both agree and convey to all our ranks that there are no issues between these two institutions.”
Sigit noted that many government programmes require joint oversight by the Police and the Attorney General’s Office. He said synergy between the two bodies is needed to ensure government programmes run well and benefit the public.
“We also realise that there are many government programme agendas that we must safeguard and oversee, because all of this is our hope to become programmes that benefit the community and make Indonesia much better,” he said. “And of course, that requires stronger solidarity and synergy. Once again, there has never been a problem between the Attorney General’s Office and the Police.”
Attorney General Burhanuddin also emphasised that relations between the Attorney General’s Office and the Police have been running well. He described Sigit’s visit as a routine silaturahmi agenda.
“This afternoon, alhamdulillah, I was visited by my friends from the Police,” Burhanuddin said. He stated that the meeting was not a new programme and rejected the perception that the two institutions are rivals. “This is not a new programme, it is an old programme. Moreover, my friends, the Police Chief and I, do not think of us as rivals or versus each other. No. I have known him personally for a long time. We are in this together, I as Attorney General, he as Police Chief.”
He stressed that the silaturahmi was not related to any particular issues. “Do not think this is because of something that happened yesterday. This is our usual silaturahmi. We are always thinking about how to improve going forward,” he said.
During the meeting, Sigit said the Police and the Attorney General’s Office also discussed strengthening synergy within the criminal justice system, including the socialisation of the new Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP).
“Going forward, the Attorney General’s Office and the Police, as one bond of law enforcement in the criminal justice system, will continue to strengthen this,” Sigit said. “We will continue to strengthen and reinforce it, especially as we also have the new KUHAP to socialise together, and we will strengthen the existing partnership and synergy.”
The Police Chief also revealed plans to enhance partnership programmes through educational exchanges between prosecutors and police investigators.
“There was a plan to improve partnership programmes, exchanging education between prosecutors and the Police, especially investigators, so that every step of coordination, particularly within the criminal justice system, can be improved,” Sigit said. He added that this cooperation is expected to provide legal certainty and a sense of justice for the public.
“On one hand, the synergy and collaborative partnership between the Attorney General’s Office and the Police is expected by people who need legal services, so that the law can truly be provided to those in need, both in terms of legal certainty and just law,” he said. “Clearly, the Attorney General’s Office and the Police are one big family, and we will continue to maintain the solidarity and synergy of this big family.”
Burhanuddin added that synergy between investigators and public prosecutors is a necessity within the criminal justice system. “Let me add that this synergy is needed because for me, for a prosecutor, a good investigation will result in a good prosecution. A good prosecution will result in a good verdict. It is our obligation, our necessity, to synergise,” he said.