11Police, military team up to tackle crime

Dicky Christanto ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Wed, 02/20/2008 11:30 AM  |  Bali

Bali Police approached the local military command and representatives of the tourism industry last week about presenting a unified response to a recent spate of violent crimes and explosions that have shocked the island.

On Tuesday, Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko paid a visit to the headquarters of the Udayana Military Command, which oversees the military forces in Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara. There, he briefed the command's top brass on the island's current security situation.

After the briefing, Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. George Robert Situmeang said the military had commenced a joint intelligence operation with the Bali Police to determine if any military elements were involved in the recent crimes.

"We also want to find out if any military officers have played the role of backers to these so-called gangsters who are responsible for the recent violence," he said.

He said investigating officers had discovered one individual involved in the recent incidents with a military background.

The individual has been identified as Dewa Made Segening, who was injured in an attack last Friday night using a homemade grenade. An unidentified assailant threw the grenade next to the car carrying Segening and an associate, Suparmadi.

Police are still searching for the perpetrator of the attack, which is thought to be related to a business dispute.

Both Segening and Suparmadi belonged to a group of investors who recently acquired the Queen Karaoke club (formerly e-X) on Jl. Kebo Iwa in west Denpasar. Police believe the former owners of the club may have played a role in the attack.

Situmeang also said he had ordered his officers to inspect the military's armory.

"I have ordered them to check and recheck whether any explosive materials or guns have been stolen recently. We will find out soon," he said.

Situmeang said the perpetrators of last Friday's attack used a homemade grenade rather than a military-issue device.

This conclusion is based on the amount of damage caused by the attack and the chemical residue found at the scene.

"If it was a real (grenade), the vehicle would likely have been burned completely instead of being just lightly damaged," he said.

On Monday, the Bali Police organized a meeting attended by top figures from the local tourism industry and high-ranking administration officials. It was held at the provincial police's headquarters in downtown Denpasar.

Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko said the police would increase cooperation with the local administration and hotel associations in dealing with security problems. This cooperation, he said, would consist of coordinating security guards in some tourist areas, the increased monitoring and checking of residents' identity documents and regular searches for illegal weapons.

He also said efforts would be made to push through a provincial bylaw restricting the operating hours of nightclubs and bars on the island. Badung Regent Anak Agung Gde Agung said the regency had issued a regulation aimed at limiting the operating hours of cafes and nightclubs in the area, to try and help cut down on crime.

Purwoko suggested hotel and club owners establish a large-scale, collectively financed security organization that would be able to secure a much larger area than the current security arrangements.

He said tourist areas like Ubud, Kuta and Sanur should organize their own security guards to prevent any security problems.

"Instead of assigning guards to secure their own hotels or clubs, it would be better if they coordinated all the security guards in the area, pooling them into an area headquarters and tasking them with securing the whole area," Purwoko said.

He said the police were ready to train the security guards.

Bali Tourism Agency head Gde Nurjaya said any security arrangements should also focus on shopping malls and other busy locations across the island.

"Those places are also potential targets for criminal actions and terrorism," he said.

Commenting on the need to build a network among civilian security officers, Djinaldi of the Bali Hotel Association said the association had installed 11 regional coordinators around the island, comprising hotel security managers from different hotels, to increase alertness and support the police in protecting tourism areas.

These coordinators are expected to improve cooperation among hotel security managers.

Wira Satya Military Resort head Col. Dedy Kusnadi, who also attended Tuesday's meeting, vowed the army would back the police in its effort to pursue criminal elements operating in Denpasar. "Don't let these criminals, including the so-called local gangsters, take control of the city's security condition," he said.

Puri Saron Hotel director Gusti Kade Sutawa said some tourists had begun to question the police's seriousness in handling criminal cases, especially ones involving foreign visitors.

An Australian national, Heidi Murphy, was brutally murdered on Feb. 10 in North Kuta and a Philippine tourist was assaulted a week earlier in Ubud. Police have yet to identify, let alone to apprehend, the perpetrators of these crimes.

The occupancy rate for hotels in Bali is currently around 80 percent.

"Serious actions must be taken or else tourists will leave the island, which is why we all gathered here today, to solve the problem," Gusti said.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.