Some officers over-ranked, National Police chief says
Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
National Police Chief Da'i Bachtiar says that some police officers at the National Police Headquarters are over-ranked, and do not deserve the post of commissioner general, or inspector general.
Briefing the press after Friday prayers at his office, Da'i revealed that the board of high-ranking National Police officials (Wanjakti) was studying the possibility of limiting the number of available posts for commissioner general and inspector general at its headquarters.
The limitation, according to Da'i, is a key move in the restructuring of the police's organizational structure, in which under-qualified generals may have to take up lower posts than their current official ranks.
The National Police organizational structure remained unnecessarily bloated and needed "trimming down." He said that, in certain instances, there were more commissioner generals than there were posts.
"The Wanjakti believes that some police officials are over- ranked, and do not necessarily deserve the posting of a commissioner general or inspector general," Da'i said.
But refused to reveal either the names or the numbers of the under-qualified generals in question.
Da'i admitted that the limitation of posts for commissioner general and inspector generals may worsen rivalry and competition between fellow police officials.
The "limitation" issue has ruffled feathers at the National Police, where officials have for decades complained that, unlike the Indonesian Military (TNI), which has many top-ranking posts in its organizational structure, including a number of posts for four-star generals, there is a severe lack of high-ranking posts within the National Police Headquarters.
There is only one post at the National Police that lately carries with it the rank of a general, the National Police Chief.
Meanwhile, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf said that departments whose structures would be changed included the National Police Intelligence.
"Criminal Intelligence will come under the National Police Detectives. The National Police Intelligence will be primarily composed of intelligence services solely for national security," Saleh told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
The reshuffling of the police organizational structure comes just as eight high-ranking police officers who hold vital posts, including two commissioner generals, are set to retire.
Police are awaiting the results of the new organizational structure before names of the officials who are suited to fill the vacant posts will be officially announced.
Saleh said earlier that the eight high-ranking officials who had reached the mandatory retirement age of 55 included National Police deputy for operational control Comr. Gen. Syahruddin Pagar Alam; National Police secretary-general Comr. Gen. Yun Mulyana; Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. I Wayan Ardjana, and North Sulawesi Provincial Police chief Brig. Gen. Erald Dotulong.