Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesia's Law and Human Rights Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said the upcoming revision of the Indonesian National Police Law (RUU Polri) will set clear boundaries on which ministries and state institutions may be headed by active police officers.
The revision follows a Constitutional Court ruling that bans serving police personnel from holding civilian posts.
Supratman explained that the new provisions will mirror those in the National Armed Forces Law, which specifies the ministries and institutions that may be led by active military officers.
"It will certainly be regulated in the revised Police Law to avoid further debate, similar to how the Armed Forces Law outlines 14 ministries eligible to be led by active soldiers," Supratman said at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
"The debate has dragged on for the Police because the Police are not the military. The Police are civilians."
The Gerindra Party politician added that the Commission for the Acceleration of Police Reform, recently established by President Prabowo Subianto, will also discuss state institutions closely tied to the Police's core duties and functions.
According to Supratman, the classification of civilian agencies that could be led by police officers will not differ significantly from institutions where police personnel have previously been assigned, such as the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT), the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, and various law enforcement directorates across ministries.
"These provisions will be stipulated explicitly in the revised Police Law," he said.
The Constitutional Court earlier granted a judicial review of Article 28(3) and its explanatory note in the Police Law.
In its ruling on case No. 114/PUU-XXIII/2025, the court declared that active police officers may no longer hold civilian posts under assignment from the National Police Chief. Any officer wishing to assume a civilian position must first resign or retire.
The Court also annulled the phrase "or not based on an assignment from the Chief of Police" in the article's explanatory note, stripping all existing external assignments of their legal basis.
The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute reviously recorded 4,351 police officers working outside the Police institution, including many high- and mid-ranking officers occupying strategic posts.
These include Inspector General Mohammad Iqbal as Secretary-General of the Regional Representative Council (DPD), Inspector General Prabowo Argo Yuwono as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Commissioner General Setyo Budiyanto as Inspector General of the Ministry of Agriculture, and Commissioner General Reynhard S.P. Silitonga as Inspector General of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
National Police spokesperson Inspector General Sandi Nugroho rejected LBH Jakarta's data, saying the number of active officers in civilian roles is far lower.
"If I'm not mistaken, around 300 personnel hold managerial positions," Sandi said on Monday, November 17, 2025.
– Dani Aswara contributed to the writing of this article.