Police Accountability and Institutional Reform in Indonesia: Challenges and Prospects for Democratic Policing

Abstract

Police accountability is a fundamental component of democratic policing because law enforcement institutions exercise significant authority over citizens and public order. Indonesia's police reform agenda has sought to strengthen professionalism, accountability, transparency, and public responsiveness, yet institutional challenges remain. This study examines the development of police accountability mechanisms in Indonesia and evaluates their implications for democratic policing. The research employs qualitative document analysis of legal frameworks, institutional policies, accountability mechanisms, and relevant public oversight practices. The study identifies several challenges, including institutional fragmentation, limitations in external oversight, uneven implementation of accountability mechanisms, and tensions between operational autonomy and democratic control. It argues that accountability should be understood not merely as disciplinary control but as an institutional framework encompassing transparency, justification of police actions, independent oversight, and meaningful avenues for public complaint. Strengthening accountability therefore requires both internal institutional reform and credible external mechanisms of civilian oversight. The study contributes to scholarship on police reform by examining the Indonesian experience within broader debates concerning democratic governance and law enforcement accountability. It also provides policy implications for strengthening institutional legitimacy and public confidence in policing.