Police Reform Commission: Kapolri Position Ideally 2-3 Years for Regeneration

The Commission for Accelerating Police Reform (KPRP) has revealed the ideal tenure for the Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Kapolri). KPRP Secretary General (Ret.) General Police Ahmad Dofiri stated that his side did not propose any term limits for the position to President Prabowo Subianto. However, he noted that ideally, the Kapolri should serve for 2-3 years to support regeneration. “The Kapolri position is ideally around 2 to 3 years. This is so that regeneration is also good. Roughly like that, so there are no term limits for the Kapolri,” he said during a press conference in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (6/5). In the process, the President’s Advisor on Public Security and Order and Police Reform said there was once a debate about whether the Kapolri should be elected through the DPR or not. However, Dofiri stated that the KPRP ultimately decided that the proposal to change the Kapolri selection process was unnecessary and should remain as it currently operates. That said, he added, discussions continued on regulating the tenure, which needs to be limited under the President’s authority. Therefore, schemes for career progression for High-Ranking Police Officers (Pati) were also discussed. “If it comes to making someone Kapolri, it’s easy, why? The rules are clear that the person to become Kapolri is someone ranked below the Kapolri, right? That means a three-star general. When the three-star has gone through a good career path, with a track record of being a three-star who has truly passed selection,” he said. “The difficult part is how to ensure that the candidate for Kapolri is good? So, selecting three-stars can’t be arbitrary. They have to build their career from the beginning,” he added. In that discussion, Dofiri said that to become a Pati, every member must have a minimum officer service period (MDP) of 25 years. Then, they must undergo higher education such as Sespimti and Lemhannas or equivalent. He explained that when a police member graduates from Akpol at age 22 and retires at 58, they will have 11 years remaining as a Pati. Dofiri said that during that time, Pati Polri must gain extensive experience before eventually becoming Kapolri. He noted that for Pati Polri with the rank of Brigadier General, they must at least serve three years as Director, Head of Bureau, or Deputy Provincial Police Chief. Once done, he said, that Pati is worthy of becoming Inspector General and will serve three years as Provincial Police Chief before being honed in the position of Assistant Kapolri for one year. Thus, Dofiri stated that a Pati Polri has already spent seven years before reaching the rank of Commissioner General or three stars. Only after that, he said, will the Pati Polri serve as Commissioner General for one year. “So for Kapolri, it’s ideally 2 to 3 years like that. This is so that regeneration is also good. Roughly like that, so there are no term limits for Kapolri,” he clarified.