UI Anthropologist: Police Involvement in Food Security is Acceleration, Not Intervention

University of Indonesia (UI) Professor of Anthropology Semiarto Aji Purwanto has addressed the frequently questioned involvement of the National Police (Polri) in food issues. “In this case, food security enters a context that is of concern to Polri. Why must Polri enter food issues? Generally, food is a private or domestic matter, so it should not be a state affair. But there is a condition that forces Polri to get involved,” said Semiarto. He made the remarks during a discussion of the book ‘Mengawal Pangan Menuai Aman’ at the Police Science College (STIK-PTIK) in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (24/6/2026). “I said earlier it is not a matter of intervention, not a matter of meddling in the food sector. Rather, it is an effort to accelerate, to speed up a part of a specific technical development process in agriculture,” Semiarto continued. He assessed that the book, authored by Deputy Chief of Police Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo, Assistant to the Chief of Police for Human Resources Inspector General Anwar, and Inspector General Susilo Teguh Raharjo, is an attempt to redefine the concept of security, which has long been synonymous with legal issues and public order. Through this study, the issue of food security is positioned as part of a security dimension that warrants attention. “In the academic world, there is a jargon: publish or perish. If we do not publish ideas, we will disappear. For me, the launch of this book is a statement that Polri also possesses academic ideas worth conveying to the public,” said Semiarto. “This book provides academic justification for why Polri is entering the food issue. It is not about intervention or taking over the roles of other parties, but about how Polri helps accelerate the development process in certain sectors deemed strategic,” he added. Furthermore, he assessed that the discussion on food security should not stop at the issue of food production. According to him, the issue needs to be placed within a broader framework, namely rural transformation and improving the welfare of village communities. He cited rice as a commodity that has long been the backbone of national food security, yet on the other hand, the price of rice is kept affordable for the public, leaving relatively limited room for improving farmers’ welfare. “When we talk about rice farmers, economically they are often in a difficult position because the commodity price is indeed expected to remain low so it is affordable for the public. Therefore, there needs to be alternative commodities with higher economic value so that villagers have the motivation to stay and thrive in the village,” he said. According to him, commodities such as corn and various other strategic commodities can be options to increase the income of rural communities. In this way, villages do not only function as centres of basic food production but also become new centres of economic growth. He hopes Polri’s involvement in the food security programme can encourage the emergence of more high-value commodities produced by village communities. This step is considered to have the potential to strengthen local economies while improving farmers’ welfare. “We hope that villages will not only be producers of rice but also producers of strategic commodities capable of improving community welfare. In that context, Polri can act as a party that encourages and motivates the community to develop,” he said. On the other hand, he assessed that Polri’s role will also continue to evolve following changes in community needs. If in the past security was mostly understood as protection against physical disturbances and criminality, now its definition has broadened to encompass various aspects of community life. According to him, the food issue is one example of how the concept of security evolves with the times and the challenges faced by the nation. “The definition of security continues to expand over time. Hopefully, Polri will remain faithful to being an institution that serves the needs of the community according to the challenges of its era,” he concluded.