DPR: The National Police Reform Team Must Be Able to Make the Indonesian National Police More Professional and Transparent

National Police Chief General Pol. Listyo Sigit Prabowo leads a promotion ceremony to and within the Senior Officer (Pati) group at the National Police Headquarters Building, Jakarta, Wednesday (31/12/2025). (ANTARA/HO-Divisi Humas Polri)

Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from the Gerindra Faction, Azis Subekti reminded that the work of the National Police Reform Team must be carried out openly, so that it can make the Indonesian National Police institution more professional, transparent, and accountable, in this case the Indonesian National Police institution.

Azis assessed that President Prabowo Subianto's decision to form the Indonesian Republic Police Reform Team (Polri) should be read as a clear political statement, that the state should not hesitate to improve its own law enforcement institutions.

"In the midst of public expectations that are increasingly high for justice and legal certainty, this step is an important starting point to ensure that the police's great authority is carried out professionally, measured, and in favor of the public's sense of justice," said Azis Subekti in his statement, Saturday, January 3.

Azis said the National Police was the face of the country that citizens encountered most often. From traffic raids, public event security, to handling criminal cases, the experience of people interacting with the police is very important in determining whether the state is present as a protector or is perceived otherwise.

"Therefore, the reform of the National Police cannot be understood as an internal issue of the institution alone, but as a public agenda whose impact is directly felt by the daily lives of the people," he said.

So far, continued Azis, whenever a case that tarnishes the police institution arises, the dominant response often stops at individual action. This step is important, but according to him, it is never enough.

"Repeated experience shows that without system improvement, violations will continue to appear with the same pattern. True reform must touch the root of the problem: how authority is managed, how decisions are made, and how the correction mechanism works when there is a deviation," he explained.

The Gerindra legislator from the Central Java VI District assessed that the Indonesian National Police indeed needed discretion to be able to act quickly in the field. However, unlimited discretion, according to Azis, has the potential to create legal uncertainty.

"The public often questions why certain cases are handled very quickly, while other cases are slow or even stagnate without clarity. This kind of situation is not just a matter of perception, but an indication that standards and procedures are not completely transparent and consistent," he said.

Therefore, Azis emphasized, the role of the National Police Reform Team is crucial. Because reform must be directed at improving the system for handling cases that are more open, starting from clarity of the legal process, handling time limits, to access to information for reporters and victims.

"The community complaint mechanism must also be strengthened, not just a formality, but really trusted because it is able to follow up on reports objectively and fairly," he said.

However, Azis emphasized that strengthening supervision should not be understood as an effort to weaken institutions. On the contrary, strong and credible supervision will protect the majority of Polri members who work with integrity.

"Handling violations in a transparent and consistent manner will emphasize that professionalism is the norm, while deviations are exceptions that are taken seriously," he said.

In addition, according to Azis, reform must also touch on aspects of human resource management, including the promotion, mutation, and performance appraisal systems. When meritocracy is consistently upheld, then said Azis, the loyalty of the apparatus will be directed to institutions and laws, not personal relationships or informal power.

"This is an important foundation for building a healthy and public-trusted organizational culture," he said.

For the government of President Prabowo Subianto, Azis assessed, the formation of the National Police Reform Team was the initial test of the commitment to build a strong and just state. According to him, a strong state is not a state that is immune from criticism, but a state that has the courage to rearrange its institutions when public trust is eroded.

"Successful police reform will have a chain effect: increased legal certainty, improved business climate, and strengthening the quality of democracy," he said.

"On the other hand, if the reform stops at administrative changes or merely a change of structure without substantive improvement, then the public's expectations will lead to disappointment again," continued Azis.

Therefore, the member of Commission III of the DPR RI reminded that the work of the National Police Reform Team must be carried out openly, involving public input, and have clear success indicators and can be evaluated. In the end, added Azis, a professional, transparent, and accountable police force is the main prerequisite for a modern rule of law.

"Police reform is not just an internal agenda of the institution, but part of the social contract between the state and its citizens. When the law is enforced fairly and credibly, that is where the state truly exists for its people," he concluded.