Profile and Career Track of Inspector General RZ Panca Putra Simanjuntak: Once Criticised by Parliament to Trusted as Head of Polri's Education and Training Agency
The name of Police Commissioner General (Komjen) Ridwan Zulkarnain Panca Putra Simanjuntak has come into the spotlight after he was entrusted with the strategic position of Head of the Education and Training Agency (Kalemdiklat) of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) in a major reshuffle carried out by the National Police Chief in May 2026.
The reshuffle is outlined in the National Police Chief’s Telegram Letter Number ST/960/V/KEP./2026 dated 7 May 2026. Out of a total of 108 high-ranking and mid-level officers who were reassigned, RZ Panca’s name has drawn the most attention due to his promotion to one of the important positions in the police institution.
The figure, familiarly known as Panca, is not a new name in the Polri. His career is long, full of dynamics, and inseparable from controversies.
Panca’s career has long been synonymous with the world of criminal investigation. A graduate of the Police Academy in 1990, he was born in Balige, North Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on 19 January 1969. From the start of his service, he was frequently placed in positions related to handling criminal cases up to special criminal offences.
His journey in the police began at the regional level. He once served as Chief of Police for Banyumas before being trusted to become Chief of Police for Tegal. His career continued to rise when he was placed as Deputy Director of Special Criminal Investigation for the Central Java Regional Police.
Not long after, Panca was entrusted with leading the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation for the Central Kalimantan Regional Police. That position became one of the important stepping stones that strengthened his reputation as a police officer with an investigative background.
However, his career path was not only in the field. From 2013 to 2017, he served in the Polri education environment as a senior lecturer at the Police Science College of the Polri Education and Training Agency. From there, his name began to be known at the national level.
Panca’s career became even more prominent when he was brought into the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency and filled the position of Deputy Director of General Criminal Offences at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency. Not long after, he earned the trust to join the Corruption Eradication Commission as Director of Investigation at the KPK.
At the KPK, Panca was involved in handling several major cases. One that attracted public attention was the alleged money laundering case of Tubagus Chaeri Wardana up to the corruption case at PT Garuda Indonesia. Within a relatively short period, he was said to be involved in dozens of hand arrest operations.