National Police Chief confident retirement age extension will not hinder careers

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo is confident that increasing the mandatory retirement age for police officers under the revised Police Law will not obstruct career progression. ‘The retirement age limit, I think — though I have not yet read it — has been regulated so that issues related to bottlenecks or stuck positions have all been addressed,’ Sigit told a press conference at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday. The National Police Chief stated that the police force will follow up on the law’s mandate to provide the service expected by the public and to shape an institutional posture that is trusted by the public. ‘And primarily, how the National Police can become more humane, more professional, and more beloved by the community in the future,’ he said. Sigit stressed the institution’s commitment to adapting to challenges and changing times, which are feared to generate various new problems. He also emphasised that efforts to create and maintain security and public order are a primary requirement for supporting the realisation of national development. The House of Representatives’ plenary session on Tuesday approved the Bill on the Third Amendment to Law Number 2 of 2002 concerning the Indonesian National Police to be enacted into law. One of the provisions regulated in the bill is the increase in the retirement age limit for police personnel. Article 30, paragraph (5), letter c stipulates that the maximum retirement age for four-star high-ranking officers is 60 years. However, this limit can be extended by one year or according to needs determined by presidential decree. The retirement age limit for non-commissioned and enlisted personnel is 59 years, while for first officers, middle-ranking officers, and high-ranking officers it is 60 years. This retirement age limit is exempted for police personnel holding functional positions, whose retirement age follows the provisions of legislation for functional officials. Police personnel who possess special expertise and/or are urgently required for police duties may have their retirement age limit extended by a maximum of two years at the proposal of the National Police Chief or according to needs determined by presidential decree.