Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo was not a highly decorated officer when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed him for the top police job in October 2010.

Critics did not read Timur's appointment as a reward for his performance, but as an outcome of a compromise between factions inside the graft-riddled police force.

Timur, having less experience as a detective, is known to have stayed away from siding with any factions, thus making it hard for him to gain support from fellow generals and mid-ranking officers.

Concerns over Timur's inability to lead, amid intense internal rivalries, have taken their toll on the police's poor performance both in law enforcement and internal anti-graft measures.

Given the risks of retaining Timur on the heels of next year's general election, Yudhoyono has indicated Timur could be removed from his position in August rather than waiting for his retirement in January 2014.

"[The tenure of] the National Police chief will end next January. However, considering that the police chief has an important task relating to the 2014 general election, the rotation should not be conducted next year," the President said in an interview with Tempo magazine, published on Monday.

The dismissal of a police chief earlier than his retirement age is considered rare in the country's bureaucracy. Gen. Da'i Bachtiar was the last police chief to be discharged early, in his case two years ahead of his retirement.

Yudhoyono dismissed Da'i in early 2005 in what critics said was due to Da'i's close ties with former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Yudhoyono's announcement on Timur's dismissal was made after the Cebongan Penitentiary killings in Sleman, Yogyakarta on March 23 allegedly by the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus). The four detainees shot dead during the raid were under the police's supervision.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has accused the police of having prior knowledge of the planned raid but still refusing to act. Timur officially removed Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Sabar Rahardjo from his post.

National Police Commission (Kompolnas) member Adrianus Meliala said there was nothing unusual about the planned dismissal. "It is ideal timing. Timur, at least, can serve as a police expert official in his remaining six months before retiring," said Adrianus.

He said the commission, an independent institution tasked with supervising the police force, was currently evaluating eight police generals as potential successors to Timur.

Among them is National Police criminal investigations division chief Comr. Gen. Sutarman and National Police education division chief Insp. Gen. Budi Gunawan.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Putut Eko Bayuseno and West Java Police chief Brig. Gen. Tubagus Anis Angkawijaya are also on the list, according to a Kompolnas member.

Adrianus said the commission was also compiling information on police chief candidates, including their personal lives, family assets and businesses.

However, most candidates seem to represent the most powerful faction within the police force that is led by deputy police chief Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna. Sutarman and Budi are known to have been under the patronage of Nanan, while Putut and Tubagus are still relatively young, without allying to any factions.

Aside from Nanan's faction, others include those led by National Police security management division head Comr. Gen. Oegroseno and National Police intelligence chief Comr. Gen. Imam Soedjarwo, who is known to have broad support from the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob).

The chances of Oegroseno and Imam becoming the next police chief are slim, as they are slated to retire within a year.

Gaffes under Timur's watch

• November 2010: Tax official Gayus H. Tambunan, a graft suspect who is supposed to be confined to the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention center, in Depok, West Java, is spotted by the media watching an international tennis event in Bali. Gayus bribed several police officers to go on the jaunt.
• February 2011: A group of residents attack an Ahmadi residence in Cikeusik village, Banten, killing three Ahmadis and injuring another five. Officers at the scene do little to intervene.
• February 2011: Mobs destroy three churches in Temanggung, Central Java, as violence erupts following a hearing in a blasphemy trial.
• December 2011: Two people are killed at Sape Seaport in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, when members of Brimob try to disperse a crowd rallying against a planned mining activity.
• August 2012: The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) names Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo a suspect in a graft case.
• October 2012: A dozen police officers enter KPK headquarters to arrest Novel Baswedan, the agency's leading investigator in Djoko's bribery case, for allegedly shooting robbery suspects in 2004. The officers fail in their plan.
• March 2013: The police's killing of an Army officer triggers a clash between police and military personnel in Ogan Komering Ulu, South Sumatra. The military torches the police's headquarters building, injuring four police officers.