Lemhanas Suggests Police Under The Ministry, Police Confirms To Work In Accordance With The 1945 Constitution

Spokesperson for the Public Relations Division of the National Police Kombes Trunoyudo W Andiko

JAKARTA - The National Police confirmed that the Bhayangkara Corps works based on the Constitution.

The statement was in response to the suggestion by the Governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) Agus Widjojo that the National Police be under the Ministry of Homeland Security and the National Security Council.

"In this case, the National Police are still in the corridor of the mandate of the law, as mandated by the Basic Law, Law number 2 of 2002 concerning the Indonesian National Police," said Spokesperson for the Public Relations Division of the National Police, Kombes Trunoyudo W Andiko to reporters, Monday, 3. January.

However, Trunoyudo was reluctant to comment much on the proposal. He emphasized that the Police carried out their duties as protectors of the community in accordance with existing regulations.

"This means that the Police are currently working on the basis of the mandate of the law. The mandate of the law is of course the mandate of the community and this is what we are still doing," said Trunoyudo.

Meanwhile, Agus Widjojo in his statement said that the Ministry of Homeland Security would oversee the National Police. This proposal is based on the results of an internal study at Lemhanas.

He said that so far security issues have been included in the portfolio of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri). However, Lemhanas assesses that the burden on the ministry is too much so that it is necessary to form a Ministry of Homeland Security.

Agus stated that this proposal was only a discourse and had not been officially proposed to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). But, he considered, the National Police as an operational institution should not be able to formulate its own policies.

"To realize security and order, there needs to be law enforcement, namely the National Police. It should be placed under one ministry, and the National Police like the TNI, an operational institution. Operations must be formulated at the ministerial level by a political institution, from which policy formulations are made, defense by TNI, and security and order by the Police," said Agus.