Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan
Vol. 23 No. 1 (2026)

Police transformation within constitutional democracy design: Evidence from Indonesia

Hasani, Ismail (Unknown)
Halili (Unknown)
Yosarie, Ikhsan (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
02 Apr 2026

Abstract

Indonesian National Police (Polri) institutional position following the 1998 political transition remains a contested terrain, particularly in reconciling operational independence with the demands of democratic governance. This study investigates how Polri has navigated that tension, drawing on a mixed-methods design that integrates diagnostic mapping of 130 institutional problems, structured surveys with 167 experts distributed across 50 districts and cities, and a comparative analysis of policing frameworks in France and the Netherlands. The findings expose a fundamental contradiction within Act No. 2/2002. While the legislation formally separates Polri from military structures, it simultaneously creates an accountability vacuum, a concern reflected in the 61.7% of expert assessments that are unfavourable. Field data further document three entrenched dysfunctions: a militaristic organisational culture, integrity failures concentrated in investigative units, and chronic service deficiencies flagged repeatedly in ombudsman evaluations between 2020 and 2023. Building on these findings, the study advances a transformation framework organised around four mutually reinforcing pillars: humanist policing grounded in rights protection, anti-corruption governance through merit-based systems, technology-enabled service modernisation, and community-centred precision policing. Proposed reforms target legislative revision, restructuring of professional education, and the development of civilian oversight mechanisms with genuine supervisory authority. The study offers a replicable analytical model for evaluating police reform trajectories in post-authoritarian democratic settings.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

civics

Publisher

Subject

Education Social Sciences

Description

Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan is a scientific journal which managed by Civic Education and Law Department, Yogyakarta State University. This journal focuses on the publication of the results of scientific research related to the field of citizenship studies. The published article ...