Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya minta bantuan kepada petugas.

kepada marks a recipient (a person or entity you address/appeal to) with verbs like meminta, mengatakan, memberi. It corresponds to “to” in “ask to someone.”
ke is mainly for physical direction/motion (“to a place”). In casual speech you will hear ke with people (e.g., ngomong ke dia), but in neutral/formal Indonesian with asking/saying verbs, kepada is preferred: minta … kepada X.

Can I drop kepada and just say Saya minta bantuan petugas?

Yes. Saya minta bantuan petugas is very common. Here, bantuan petugas is a noun phrase meaning “the officer’s help.” The meaning is practically the same; with kepada you emphasize the addressee (“ask to the officer”), without it you emphasize the help you want (“the officer’s help”). Both are natural.

Is minta too informal? Should I use meminta?

minta = colloquial/neutral and very common in speech and everyday writing.
meminta = more formal/polished (good for official writing). Your sentence is fine either way: Saya minta bantuan… (neutral) vs Saya meminta bantuan… (formal).

Which sounds more natural: minta bantuan or minta tolong?

Both are fine.

minta bantuan is straightforward “ask for help/assistance,” neutral in tone.
minta tolong is very idiomatic and slightly more conversational. Also note:
tolong can be a politeness marker (“please”): Tolong, bantu saya…
pertolongan is a near-synonym of bantuan, but often feels a bit more serious/urgent.

Could I use dari instead, as in minta bantuan dari petugas?

Yes, it’s acceptable and common. Nuance:

kepada highlights the person you ask (addressee): “ask to the officer.”
dari highlights the source of the help: “ask for help from the officer.” All three work: minta bantuan kepada/dari petugas, or minta bantuan petugas.

Can I move phrases around, like Kepada petugas, saya minta bantuan?

Yes. Fronting kepada petugas is grammatical and adds emphasis/topic focus (“As for the officer, I asked for help”). The neutral order remains the most common.

Can I drop Saya?

Yes, subject pronouns are often dropped when context is clear:

Minta bantuan kepada petugas. In casual speech you might also use a different pronoun:
Aku minta bantuan… (informal)
Saya is the safe polite choice.

What exactly does petugas mean? Is it “police officer”?

petugas means an on-duty officer/attendant/staff member responsible for a task. It’s generic and context-dependent:

petugas bandara (airport staff), petugas keamanan (security personnel), petugas kebersihan (sanitation worker), petugas loket (ticket clerk). It is not inherently “police.” For police, say polisi or petugas polisi.

How do I specify the type of officer/staff?

Add a qualifier:

petugas bandara, petugas stasiun, petugas bank, petugas keamanan, petugas parkir, petugas CS (layanan pelanggan), etc.

How do I make the request sound more polite/natural when speaking?

Common polite frames:

Permisi, Pak/Bu, saya boleh minta bantuan?
Maaf, Pak/Bu, apakah saya bisa minta bantuan?
Pak/Bu, mohon bantuannya. Addressing someone as Pak (sir) or Bu (ma’am) is standard politeness.

How do I say “I asked the officer to do X”?

Use a complement clause with untuk/agar/supaya:

Saya meminta kepada petugas untuk memanggil teknisi.
Saya meminta agar petugas membuka pintu darurat.
Colloquial: Saya minta petugas (untuk) … (often omitting untuk).

Can I use a pronoun instead of petugas, like “to him/her”?

Yes:

kepada dia (colloquial/neutral)
kepadanya (more formal/written, single word) Example: Saya minta bantuan kepadanya.

What about pada instead of kepada?

You may see pada used, especially in formal writing: meminta pada…. In modern standard usage, kepada is clearer/specific for human recipients. So prefer kepada here, but pada isn’t wrong.

How do I mark past or future time?

Indonesian doesn’t change the verb. Use time words:

Past: tadi, kemarin, sudah (already)
- Tadi saya minta bantuan kepada petugas.
Future: nanti, akan
- Nanti saya akan minta bantuan kepada petugas.

Is bantuan countable? Do I need a classifier?

bantuan is typically a mass/abstract noun. You don’t count “one help, two helps.” Use quantifiers or adjectives:

sedikit bantuan (a bit of help), bantuan kecil (a small favor), bantuan darurat (emergency aid). Polite softener: bantuannya (your help): Mohon bantuannya.

Is there a passive-like alternative, like “I asked to be helped by the officer”?

Yes:

Saya minta dibantu (oleh) petugas. Very natural in speech; oleh can be dropped: dibantu petugas.

Is Saya minta kepada petugas complete by itself?

Not really. With meminta kepada [orang], you normally add what you’re asking for:

Saya meminta bantuan kepada petugas.
Or add a clause: Saya meminta kepada petugas agar … Saying only Saya minta kepada petugas sounds unfinished.