Bali Police commenced Sunday an island-wide operation to secure the routes expected to be used for the expected hometown exodus by millions of people.
The operation, Ketupat 2009, is part of a nationwide police operation of the same name.
Bali Police will deploy 1,550 officers to man posts established at intersections, public transportation terminals, ports and airport all across the island.
"Our officers will be at all areas prone to traffic jams and crimes, to offer their services to the public," Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Sutisna said Saturday at Puputan Margarana Square in Renon, Denpasar, after inspecting the police contingent assigned to the operation.
"All roads connecting Denpasar with Tabanan and Gilimanuk will be considered prone to traffic jams and other incidents."
The Gilimanuk ferry port connects the island with Java, while Denpasar is home to the largest Muslim population in the island, estimated at 300,000 people.
Most are immigrants from Java and West Nusa Tenggara, and are expected to form the bulk of the exodus during the Islamic holiday of Idul Fitri. A large contingent of police officers has also been deployed to the Benoa and Padangbai ferry ports. Benoa, in Denpasar, provides ferry lines to all major cities across Indonesia, while Padangbai, in Karangasem, provides regular services to West Nusa Tenggara.
Smaller police teams have also been sent to the smaller harbors that pepper the island's coastlines.
"We're working with the Navy to secure these traditional harbors; they will conduct regular patrols during the holiday period," Sutisna said.
The decision to secure smaller ports comes in the wake of the sinking late last month of the Putra Romo ferry, sailing out of the Tribhuana traditional port, in which at least nine people drowned.
Sutisna also said several key road posts had been equipped with ambulances and tow trucks to respond quickly to traffic emergencies.
Officers have been instructed to pay special attention to the motorcyclists, he added.
Police believe the accident-prone routes will see up to 15,000 motorcycles a day during the peak of the exodus, which would increase the chances of accidents occurring.
Sutisna said the Army would assist the police. The Udayana Military Command, overseeing Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara, has assigned 240 Army officers to assist the Bali Police.
"They will be stationed with regency- and subdistrict-level police," Sutisna said. He also pledged to increase routine police patrols of housing areas in Denpasar, because of the large number of homes left vacant by people returning to their hometowns in Java and West Nusa Tenggara.
As of Sunday afternoon, most of the major posts were up and running. At a post on the I.B. Mantra highway, the main route connecting Denpasar with Padangbai, police officers monitored the passing traffic from a large tent set up at an intersection.
