Indonesia's House Approves Revision to National Police Law

Indonesia's House of Representatives has officially ratified a third revision to Law Number 2 of 2002 concerning the National Police (Polri). The bill, which underwent a swift review process in Commission III of the DPR since receiving the President's letter last week, was approved in a plenary session on Tuesday. Despite some consultations with experts and students, the government and DPR engaged in only two formal discussion sessions, with the final plenary meeting occurring shortly before the ratification.

All eight factions in the DPR unanimously agreed to advance the bill to the plenary session for approval, with minimal debate. The revised law introduces significant changes, including clearer regulations on social security and pensions for police officers, detailed in Article 26. Unlike the previous law, the new legislation specifies benefits such as health, work accidents, death, and old-age pensions, stating these will be implemented according to existing regulations.

A notable shift is the more flexible approach to placing active police officers in civilian institutions. The new Law, through the newly inserted Article 28A, allows active police members to occupy civilian positions if there is a connection to their police duties and a request from the relevant ministry or institution. This contrasts with the old law, which required officers to resign or take early retirement to hold civilian posts. The explanation clarifies that these roles can be divided into three categories, though the specifics of these categories are not fully detailed in the provided text.

The revision also touches upon the retirement age and aims to strengthen the National Police Commission (Kompolnas). The ratification process was led by the Deputy Speaker of the DPR, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, with the National Police Chief, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, in attendance. The bill's passage signifies a move towards modernizing police regulations to better align with current needs and operational demands.