February 6, 2025
JAKARTA – Five police officers across the country have taken their own lives since the start of the year, raising the alarm about inadequate mental health support within the National Police.
On Monday night, a police officer, identified only as Chief Brig. HS, was found dead in his home in Langkapura subdistrict, Bandar Lampung City, Lampung.
HS served at the East Teluk Betung Sub-Precinct Police station under the jurisdiction of Bandar Lampung City Police.
Authorities are still investigating his death, but South Teluk Betung Sub-Precinct Police chief Comr. Enrico Donald Sidauruk said that there were signs of suicide at the scene.
On the same day, a police officer of the Sinjai Police in South Sulawesi also took his own life by drinking a bottle of glass cleaning solution after he was arrested by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) for alleged drug abuse.
BNN South Sulawesi Drug Eradication and Intelligence Head Sr. Comr. Ardiansyah said the incident took place when the officer — identified only as Second Adj. AM — was being transported to Makassar for questioning.
“He suddenly began vomiting profusely. Our investigators initially thought AM was experiencing car sickness, but he then admitted to ingesting a glass of cleaning solution inside the vehicle, they quickly rushed him to a nearby hospital,” Ardiansyah said on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.
AM died shortly after receiving medical treatment at Sultan Daeng Radja Regional Hospital in Bulukumba Regency.
Just a week prior, a 43-year-old officer identified only as Brig. JFS, was found dead in an apparent suicide at the Harian Police Station, Samosir Regency, North Sumatra.
JFS’s wife discovered his body hanging in his office at around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 27 after she was unable to reach him all day. Samosir Police spokesperson Chief Brig. Vandu Marpaung confirmed the death and stated that an investigation was underway.
Another officer in the North Sumatra Police also took his own life on Jan. 13.
The 25-year-old policeman identified only as Second. Brig AA was found hanging inside his locked office at the Dairi Police Station at around 11:00 a.m.
“He did not answer when his colleagues called him, so they decided to break down the door. That’s when they found him deceased,” Dairi Police spokesperson Chief. Brig Junaidi said as reported by Tempo.
On Jan. 7, an officer from the Way Kanan Police in Lampung, identified only as Brig. EA, also committed suicide in his home. Authorities said that he stabbed himself in front of his wife.
Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) Head Sugeng Teguh Santoso said the number of police officers who took their lives this year was alarmingly high compared to last year’s figure.
“We recorded nine officer suicides in 2024, which is already a sharp increase from the previous year, when only three suicides were recorded,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
“But this year we already saw five suicides in the first month of the year,” Sugeng added.
He said the majority of these suicides were committed by lower-ranking officers, with factors such as pressure from superiors, personal stress related to career advancement, internal competition and financial struggles being cited as contributing causes.
Sugeng said this trend highlighted “mental health crisis” within the national police and the lack of awareness of mental health issues within the institution.