JAKARTA - Senior legal and political analyst Boni Hargens assessed that the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) recommendations to President Prabowo Subianto regarding the Polri reform agenda are still normative and have not offered significant breakthroughs.
According to Boni, the substance of the recommendation is basically in line with the internal transformation agenda that has been carried out by the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo.
"I say that this recommendation is normative because it is conventional and has long been known in the discourse on police reform. In fact, its essence is in line with the Polri transformation agenda initiated and carried out by the current National Police Chief," said Boni in his statement, Tuesday, January 6.
Boni explained that the recommendations of the Kompolnas can be summarized into four main points, namely improving professionalism, strengthening accountability, a humanistic approach to law enforcement, and the responsiveness of the National Police to community needs.
According to him, these four points are the basic principles of police reform which have long been part of the direction of the Polri institution policy. This alignment, said Boni, shows the continuity of vision, but at the same time emphasizes the need for innovation so that reform has a more substantive and measurable impact.
"This alignment is good, but it also indicates that reforms require new, more concrete steps so that they do not stop at the normative level," he said.
Furthermore, Boni assessed that police reform requires a comprehensive and realistic approach. Reform, according to him, cannot only come from idealism, but must also consider the operational realities faced by the National Police on a daily basis.
"Police reform is not a linear and simple process. A deep understanding of the complexity of the organization, work culture, resource limitations, and external challenges is needed. Without it, reform risks becoming a discourse that is difficult to implement," he said.
He also emphasized the importance of understanding the concept of ATHG - threats, challenges, obstacles, and disruptions - as the main foundation in designing Polri reforms. According to Boni, ATHG reflects the various pressures faced by the National Police, ranging from the threat of terrorism and cybercrime, demands for modernization amid budget constraints, structural and cultural obstacles, to external interference with operational effectiveness.
"It is impossible to have systemic changes without understanding the ATHG that the National Police faces as an institution," he said.
Boni concluded that effective police reform requires a balance between the idealism of change and the pragmatism of implementation in the field. In the future, the discourse on police reform needs to move beyond normative recommendations towards a more holistic and contextual approach.
"Continued dialogue is needed between Kompolnas, the National Police, the government, and civil society to formulate a realistic but ambitious roadmap for transformation," he concluded.
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