Police transformation within constitutional democracy design: Evidence from Indonesia

Abstract

Polri's 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 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% unfavorable expert assessments. Field data further document three entrenched dysfunctions a militaristic organizational 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 organized around four mutually reinforcing pillars: humanist policing grounded in rights protection, anti-corruption governance through merit-based systems, technology-enabled service modernization, and community-centered precision policing. Proposed reforms target legislative revision, professional education restructuring, 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.