Police Bill Retains Minimum High School Requirement for Police Candidates
The government is maintaining the minimum educational requirement of senior high school (SMA) or its equivalent for prospective members of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) during the discussions regarding the revision of Law Number 2 of 2002 concerning the National Police.
During the working group meeting for the discussion of the Draft Law (RUU) on the National Police, Deputy Minister of Law Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej read the proposed norm for Article 21. The proposed article states that to be appointed as a member of the Indonesian National Police, a candidate must meet at least the following requirements: (a) an Indonesian citizen; (b) faith and devotion to God Almighty; (c) loyalty to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia based on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia; and (d) a minimum education of senior high school or its equivalent.
Hinca Pandjaitan, a member of Commission III from the Democratic Party, questioned the educational requirement, noting public suggestions to raise the minimum level to a bachelor’s degree (S1). He mentioned that during previous working meetings with the Chief of National Police, there was a desire to raise the standard due to the availability of high-quality higher education.
In response, the Head of the Legal Division of the National Police Headquarters, Inspector General Agus Nugroho, explained that the police force already accommodates university graduates through the Police Inspector School for Bachelor Graduates (SIPSS) track. He clarified that the recruitment process distinguishes between the formation of non-commissioned officers (bintara) sourced from high school graduates and the formation of officers (perwom) sourced from university graduates.
Following this explanation, the Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), Rano Alfath, requested the meeting participants’ approval to maintain the current provision, which was subsequently approved.