Police Chief Listyo Sigit Through the Eyes of the 'Devil's Advocate'

“Biografi Kebijakan,” thus Prof (Ris) Hermawan ‘Kikiek’ Sulistyo positions his latest work. The main subject of discussion is Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo (LSP). However, he does not write it like a typical biography that tends to be linear and narrative. “I can’t sugarcoat it,” writes Kikiek, who is known for being straightforward. He takes readers to understand LSP’s figure through decisions made when pressures come in layers: politics, public opinion, to internal institutional dynamics. Capturing macro ideas and practical policy steps from a philosophical position, theory, and concepts. Kikiek only clusters the detailed explanations in the Presisi Programme critically. He acts more as a ‘Devil’s Advocate’ rather than merely stringing it into praise. Therefore, this book does not fall into glorification. But it acknowledges the complexity of the field faced by a Police Chief. His experience assisting six Police Chiefs and his academic track record, including works like Democratic Policing, gives weight to the analysis offered. In the early section, Kikiek slips in a brief but significant personal fragment: LSP’s closeness to judo sport. He believes this martial arts discipline also shapes the Police Chief’s physical and mental resilience. Testimony from Inspector General Krishna Murti about training together—including the extreme story when Listyo Sigit threw 60 police academy judokas—gives a human touch, though it does not become the main focus. No wonder in the internal police, LSP is often remembered as a judoka, not just a policeman. Family background, education, and the social-cultural environment of Yogyakarta where LSP grew up until his teens are also touched upon briefly. All of that forms a firm yet empathetic figure, measured without losing flexibility. “He is able to see power not as a right, but as a moral responsibility,” writes Kikiek. In the last two chapters of this book, Prof Kikiek dissects four main cases that became the heaviest tests for LSP as well as the police institution and links them academically to LSP’s Presisi tagline. The four cases are the murder by Head of Propam Division Inspector General Ferdy Sambo against his aide in mid-2022, Kanjuruhan (1 October 2022), the drug case by West Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General Teddy Minahasa, and the August 2025 riot incident. These four cases became a kind of tectonic earthquake that dropped public trust in the police to the lowest point in the last two decades. However, slowly public trust rose again when they saw quick, transparent, and consistent responses—not because of propaganda but the institution’s sincerity in admitting mistakes. When the August 2025 riots hit, writes Kikiek, LSP did not look for field scapegoats, but ordered a command audit. He also formed an internal reform team as an effort to strengthen accountability and professionalism of the institution he leads. “LSP’s calm, rational, and empathetic leadership style creates space for reflection amid public polarisation,” writes Kikiek. Book title: Alter Ego Listyo Sigit Presisi: A Policy Biography Publisher: Pensil 324 Published: 2026 Thickness: 246 pages