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View all search resultsPressure piles on Prabowo for police reform
The government-sanctioned police reform committee has not presented its findings and recommendations to President Prabowo Subianto despite wrapping up its work since early March, citing the President’s busy agenda.
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Civil society activists and university students hold a banner that reads “Police reform“ (left) and “People's killer“ during a protest on Nov. 28, 2024, in front of the Central Java Police station in Semarang. (Antara/Aji Styawan)
C
ivil society groups have urged President Prabowo Subianto to deliver on his pledge to reform the National Police, amid concerns about the lack of progress despite a government-sanctioned committee having finished drafting recommendations on the matter.
No follow-up actions have been taken by the government since the creation of the committee in November 2025, which was tasked with reviewing the police’s structure, authority and oversight framework to recommend a necessary overhaul of the force.
The commission was established by Prabowo following heightened calls for police reform triggered by a series of incidents of police brutality during nationwide anti-government protests last August. One such incident was the death of Affan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old online motorcycle transportation driver who was run over by a police tactical vehicle during a protest in Jakarta.
Several non-government organizations under the Civil Society Coalition for Police Reform called on Prabowo to prioritize the police reform agenda, reminding him that the responsibility lies with the President. Under prevailing legislation, the National Police are directly under the President’s authority.
“We urge President Prabowo Subianto to listen to the voices of the people regarding their demand to reform the police,” said Arif Maulana of the coalition on Monday. “Ignoring the voices of the people and society has the potential to create distrust in the government, as well as the police institution.”
While calling on the committee to publish its findings and recommendations to ensure accountability, the coalition also raised concerns over the President’s seeming lack of commitment to police reform, as he had yet to pay attention to the committee’s findings as a result of other commitments, such as overseas visits and international engagements.
Read also: Police reform team to submit recommendations to President before Idul Fitri
