JAKARTA - The latest survey results from the Center for Indonesian Strategic Action (CISA) show that the majority of the public reject the idea of placing the National Police of the Republic of Indonesia (Polri) under the ministry. As many as 81.2 percent of respondents said they disagreed to disagree with the idea and wanted the National Police to remain an independent institution.
CISA Executive Director Herry Mendrofa said the level of public rejection was very strong and consolidated.
"The category of disagreement reached 65.5 percent. If combined with the less than 15.7 percent of those who disagree, the total public rejection of the Polri discourse under the ministry reached 81.2 percent of respondents," said Herry when presenting the results of a survey entitled Public Aspiration Towards Institutional Reform of the National Police at Aryaduta Suites, South Jakarta, Friday, January 30.
In detail, 65.5 percent of respondents said they disagreed, 15.7 percent disagreed, 7.4 percent agreed, 4.2 percent agreed, 1.1 percent agreed, and 6.1 percent did not answer. Thus, the full approval rate for the discourse was only 5.3 percent.
According to Herry, this finding shows that the public considers the independence of the National Police as a crucial factor in maintaining professionalism and neutrality in law enforcement.
"This result confirms that the wider community wants the National Police to remain an independent institution, and views the placement of the National Police under the ministry as a step that has the potential to disrupt the independence and neutrality of the police," he said.
The survey also noted that 61 percent of respondents agreed that the National Police remained an independent institution. Meanwhile, 29 percent disagreed and about 10 percent had not decided.
"Public support for the independence of the National Police is relatively strong, although there are still some people who do not have a definite attitude. This shows the need for wider public communication," said Herry.
In addition, about 67 percent of respondents believe that placing the National Police under the ministry has the potential to reduce police independence. The majority of respondents also assessed that the position of the National Police under the President as the head of state was considered to guarantee independence, with 63 percent saying it remained independent, 28 percent judged it not, and 9 percent did not answer.
Concerns about the politicization of law enforcement also emerged. As many as 60.2 percent of respondents believed that the police under the ministry had the potential to be influenced by political interests, while 28.5 percent were not sure and 11.3 percent did not answer.
On the other hand, the majority of the public considers changing the institutional structure not the main solution to improve police performance. As many as 76.7 percent of respondents believe that placing the National Police under the ministry will not solve the performance problem.
"This survey results show very strong support for the internal reform approach. As many as 70.2 percent of respondents believe that improving the internal system of the National Police is more important than changing the institutional structure," said Herry.
The CISA survey was conducted on January 21-26, 2026, with 1,135 respondents in 29 provinces through face-to-face interviews and questionnaires. The margin of error was recorded at ± 2.70 percent with a 95 percent confidence level. Respondents are citizens aged 17 years and above or have the right to vote, both in urban and rural areas.
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