Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto has decided that the National Police will remain directly under presidential authority, abandoning proposals to place the institution under a government ministry, an official said on Tuesday.

The decision followed a meeting between Prabowo and the National Police Reform Acceleration Commission, where the structure and oversight of the police force were discussed.

Commission chairman Jimly Asshiddiqie said earlier discussions had explored potential changes to the appointment mechanism for the national police chief. However, after weighing the pros and cons, the president opted to maintain the existing system.

“After considering the advantages and disadvantages, the president directed that the current arrangement remain in place. The police chief will continue to be appointed by the president with approval from parliament, as is the current practice. The same applies to the military commander,” Jimly said after the meeting.

Jimly added that the commission did not recommend the creation of a new ministry to oversee the police, concluding that the potential drawbacks would outweigh the benefits.

“The president asked about this, and we explained our conclusion -- that the risks would be greater than the gains. Therefore, we did not propose establishing a new ministry,” said Jimly, a former chief justice of the Constitutional Court.

Instead, the reform agenda will focus on revising regulations and strengthening internal institutional capacity, rather than restructuring the governance framework.

Prabowo also approved plans to enhance the authority of the National Police Commission, enabling it to exercise more effective oversight of police performance. Proposed changes include granting the commission binding recommendation powers and ensuring more independent membership.

The strengthening of the commission is expected to be incorporated into a legislative revision currently being prepared for discussion with parliament.

National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo has publicly opposed the plan to put the National Police under a ministry.

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