PRIME NEWS POST

The INDONESIAN, (Jakarta) — Every day, members of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) carry out duties that demand courage, physical endurance, precision, self-control, and high readiness. Police officers confront crime, accidents, social conflict, disasters, security disturbances, public service, traffic management, investigations, and prosecutions — often requiring them to remain in the field for extended periods. Much of this work takes place away from the camera’s eye, yet the risks are real and the consequences can touch upon personal safety.

The weight of this responsibility becomes particularly evident when Polri secures demonstrations. The public has the right to express opinions, while the police have the duty to maintain security, public order, and safety. In such situations, Polri personnel face not only crowds and dynamic field conditions but also the pressure to remain calm, professional, proportionate, and law-abiding amid intense strain. Standing for hours in the heat or rain, navigating crowd density, provocation, and rapid changes in situation are all part of occupational risks that are often not fully accounted for in debates over welfare.

Therefore, Polri welfare must be positioned as a matter of strategic national importance. Discussions should not be limited to debates over the size of base salaries. The welfare structure must address differences in risk, workload, competence, regional conditions, performance, family protection, health, housing, occupational safety, and retirement. The more complex the demands on Polri professionalism become, the more rational it is for the state to strengthen the foundation of its personnel’s welfare.

The framework to be developed is an architecture of Polri welfare that links remuneration to the value of service. Welfare must be provided fairly, measurably, and sustainably — not based on perception or temporary pressure. At the same time, welfare strengthening must proceed alongside improvements in professionalism, integrity, discipline, and accountability. The state is obligated to provide proper protection to Polri personnel, while Polri personnel are obligated to respond with their best service to the nation and society.

POLRI REMUNERATION MUST REFLECT RISK AND WORKLOAD

Equity in welfare does not always mean uniformity. Personnel performing administrative functions, field services, patrols, traffic duties, criminal investigations, narcotics operations, Mobile Brigade (Brimob) deployments, explosive ordnance disposal, counter-terrorism, security for high-risk events, or operations in high-threat regions face different job characteristics. Therefore, an ideal remuneration design should be able to distinguish risk levels objectively.

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Conceptually, this approach can be developed through a Police Occupational Risk Index (PORI). This index could account for probability of harm, impact severity should a risk materialise, exposure frequency, threat characteristics, environmental conditions, and consequences for personnel safety. Thus, risk compensation would be based not on the perception that a job is “difficult,” but on measurable parameters that can be evaluated and updated as threats evolve.

This approach could establish risk tiers ranging from low, medium, high, to very high. The greater the probability and impact of a risk, and the more frequently a person is exposed to hazardous conditions, the stronger the basis for additional compensation. Demonstration security operations could also be included within this framework according to their escalation level and threat characteristics. In this way, the state can more objectively recognise the sacrifices of personnel on the front lines when public order is under pressure.

Risk must also be read alongside workload. Assignment duration, operational frequency, readiness demands, irregular working hours, and responsibility pressure must all form part of the evaluation. It is unfair if the state only considers rank and position while ignoring the intensity of service. A good remuneration system is not merely about increasing income; it is about providing rational recognition for the value of the work performed.

COMPETENCE, REGION, AND PERFORMANCE MUST BE INTEGRATED INTO WELFARE DESIGN

Modern policing requires personnel with increasingly specialised competencies. Cybercrime, digital forensics, intelligence, financial crime investigation, data analysis, information technology, forensic laboratories, police medicine, aviation, explosive ordnance disposal, and various other specialised fields require significant investment in education and training. These competencies must be viewed as institutional strategic assets and rewarded proportionally.

Conceptually, this can be translated through a Competency & Specialist Premium. The scarcer the competency, the longer the education and certification process, the greater the responsibility, and the higher the consequence of error in duty execution — the stronger the basis for rewarding that competency. Polri would gain an immediate advantage, as such a system helps retain talent and encourages personnel to enhance their professional capabilities.

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The same applies to assignment regions. Geographic difficulty, transport access, cost of living, health facilities, communication quality, security levels, and distance from family are not uniform across all areas. Therefore, a Police Deployment Difficulty Index could conceptually be developed to measure assignment hardship more objectively. Personnel serving in border regions, outer islands, or remote areas must receive compensation that reflects the real conditions they face.

Welfare must then be linked to performance — but not through superficial indicators. Performance should encompass service quality, procedural compliance, competence, task completion, discipline, integrity, and the ability to serve the public. Strengthened welfare should give rise to increasingly strong professionalism. The reward system must encourage personnel to perform better without turning the police into an institution that chases statistical targets alone.

WELFARE MUST PROTECT PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGHOUT THEIR SERVICE

A police officer does not serve alone. Behind every individual stands a family that also bears the consequences of their profession. When an officer is posted far from home, performs high-risk duties, is injured, becomes disabled in the line of duty, or passes away while serving, the impact does not end with the individual. Their family also faces long-term economic and social consequences.

Therefore, a Family Security Package must be developed that views welfare as a protection system rather than merely additional income. Health, children’s education, housing, work accidents, duty-related disability, death, old age, and retirement must all be considered within a single framework. The state’s question should not stop at “how much compensation is provided,” but should evolve into “how to ensure the family retains a future after a work-related risk occurs.”

This approach can be structured around the Police Career-Life Cycle concept — spanning recruitment, education, posting, competency development, assignment, risk compensation, family protection, health and safety, career advancement, retirement preparation, and dignified retirement. Through this approach, welfare is no longer understood simply as a number on a payslip, but as a system that accompanies an entire Polri member’s service journey.

All these components can be summarised within the conceptual framework of the Police Welfare Index (PWI):

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Basic Welfare + Risk Compensation + Competency Compensation + Location & Deployment + Performance & Professionalism + Family Security + Social Security & Retirement

This framework is not an official government formula, but a policy design concept that can be refined to make Polri welfare more measurable. The fundamental principle is:

Fair Welfare = Fair Risk + Fair Pay + Fair Protection + Fair Reward

As such, welfare strengthening does not stand in opposition to accountability — it proceeds alongside it.

We cannot demand that the police become increasingly professional without building the conditions that enable them to work professionally. Nor can we use welfare as a reason to reduce demands for integrity and accountability. Welfare and professionalism must be placed within a single policy relationship: the state provides fair compensation and protection, Polri strengthens its human resources quality and accountability, and society receives a police service that is increasingly professional, humane, and trustworthy.

“Police officers standing at the front lines when public security faces threats must know that the state stands behind them. When Polri personnel secure demonstrations, confront crime, guard remote regions, perform specialised functions, or work in safety-critical situations, that service must receive tangible recognition through a fair welfare system. Strengthening Polri welfare is not about granting privileges to officers; it is about ensuring that the institution mandated to protect the people has personnel who are protected, competent, professional, and capable of carrying out their duties with dignity.”