Police enlist help of military, guards to secure Christmas

Pecalang ikut amankan Natal (photo by: Ni Komang Erviani)

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Fri, 12/23/2011 7:55 AM

Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Totoy Herawan Indra stated on Thursday that soldiers and Pecalang (traditional guards) would be involved in the massive security operation aimed at ensuring that the upcoming Christmas celebrations were incident-free.

“We will deploy all forces that we have to anticipate any possible threat of disturbance,” he said after inspecting the local police force in Puputan Margarana field in Renon, Denpasar.

The operation, code-named Operation Candle, will see a significant number of uniformed and well-equipped police and military officers deployed to 253 churches across Bali.

The police had also already notified the Desa Pekraman (customary villages) around those churches to place their respective Pecalang on alert. Comprised of selected male adult members of the banjar (traditional neighborhood organization) or Desa Pekraman, these volunteer-based traditional guards have won high praise in the past for protecting and securing their respective territories.

They have also regularly participated in securing the major religious events at mosques and churches, reaffirming the image of Bali as a tolerant and multi-cultural society.

The chief also disclosed that bomb squad units would be assigned to major churches. Several major churches lie in the island’s capital and there are at least three major churches in the island’s top tourism destination of Kuta.

These churches are frequented by foreign visitors and expatriates.

“We have identified the churches that will likely draw large congregations. We will adapt our security measures, including the number of personnel and type of unit attached to those specific churches,” he said.

“Not a single church will be left unguarded,” he vowed.

He said that Bali was among 14 provinces declared by the Indonesian National Police (INP) as
the top priority regions in the Christmas’ security operation. The 10-day Operation Candle will start on Dec. 23.

Among the top priority regions are Papua, Northeast Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi and Jakarta. All have sizable Catholic and Christian populations.

“Bali is a priority because the Christmas celebrations here are not only attended by local Christians but also foreign visitors,” he said.

The police vowed to deploy uniformed officers to malls, arcades, tourism attractions and other places likely to draw large numbers of people during the celebration.

“So far, the security situation in Bali is OK. However, I urge the public to maintain their vigilance to anticipate any threat, including the threat of a terrorist attack,” he said.

After the brutal terrorist bombings in October 2002 and 2005, the local security forces have developed a habit of increasing their security measures at year-end.

Separately, Denpasar naval base commander Col. Wayan Suarjaya disclosed that two navy destroyers, KRI Untung Suropati and KRI Oswald Siahaan, and command ship KRI Multatuli would patrol the resort island’s waters during the year-end period.

“The ships will carry out inspections of ships and vessels in the island’s offshore areas to prevent the smuggling of persons and illegal contraband, including weapons and explosives,” he said.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/12/23/police-enlist-help-military-guards-secure-christmas.html