On 9 June 2026, Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR) passed sweeping revisions to the National Police Law in a single plenary session, with President Prabowo Subianto signing the bill into law as Law No. 5 of 2026 on 17 June 2026. The speed of the process and the absence of meaningful public consultation has alarmed civil society organizations. They warn that the new law entrenches impunity and closes the door on the police reform the public has demanded for years. Far from strengthening oversight of a force of nearly 600,000 personnel, the revisions concentrate authority, expand the reach of active officers into civilian government, and leave accountability to internal mechanisms that have repeatedly failed to curb human rights abuses.
The Civil Society Coalition for Police Reform, an alliance that includes Kontras, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) and Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), rejected the “lightning fast” ratification, saying the bill was drafted haphazardly and shut the public out of a process that should have been transparent and open to equal participation. The coalition argues the revisions run counter to the spirit of reform and reveal a “strong political power agenda,” exposing the police reform promised by President Prabowo as empty talk. Among its gravest concerns: Article 19A leaves police accountability to internal oversight alone. The internal mechanism lack transparency and have proven to be ineffective at stopping police violence, abuse of authority and impunity. while Article 19 risks legitimizing repressive force as a policing approach without strict supervision or limits.
The law’s structural changes are equally troubling from a rights and democratic-oversight standpoint. Article 28A permits active officers to occupy positions in ministries and agencies without clear boundaries, a provision the coalition says contradicts the People’s Consultative Assembly decree and a 2025 Constitutional Court ruling. It revives the practice of police holding civilian posts without resigning. The coalition has also called for the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) to be strengthened as a genuinely independent external watchdog, rather than a body tied to the executive.
The most politically charged provision raises the retirement age to 59 for enlisted ranks, 60 for most officers, and up to 60 for four-star generals with extensions possible by presidential decree, with earlier drafts reaching as high as 63. Kontras warns the change “smells of politics” ahead of the 2029 election, noting that police chief Listyo Sigit, now 57, would otherwise retire next year; critics fear it could stall internal regeneration and open the door to the trading of senior positions.
The government has defended the law and denied that the retirement provisions are designed to extend the police chief’s tenure. Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas framed the higher age limits as a matter of parity with the military, civil servants and prosecutors, and insisted there is no link to any extension of Listyo Sigit’s term.
