T

he police say they can ensure safety for the public during the Idul Fitri holidays although this year they have included unpredictable weather among the factors that may disrupt festivities.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Iskandar Hasan said recent incidents in different parts of the country had prompted them to factor in the weather.

“We have included the unpre-dictable weather in our preparations, as it can have a huge impact on the traffic, for example,” he said Friday.

The rainy season in Indonesia usually starts in September, but for many parts of the archipelago, including Java, last year’s rainy season has not really stopped.

In some areas, rains could spark landslides, posing another potential danger to travelers.

“We need to work with officials from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency [BMKG] to take necessary precautions, including preparing alternative routes,” Iskandar said.

National Police operational division head Insp. Gen. Sunarko Danu Ardanto added that police had prepared alternative routes in Java. “We will also deploy officers in every train to monitor security inside trains.

“There will also be officers monitoring the railways to ensure no foul play is afoot,” he said.

Millions of travelers, mostly in Java and Sumatra, take to the roads, trains and skies during the Idul Fitri holidays.

Most travelers in Java are eastbound, although traffic to the west is also expected to be heavy.

Sunarko said police were studying possible scenarios to ensure security for the biggest holiday in the calendar.

“We have set targets and will stick to them,” he said.

Sunarko added that police would deploy more officers during the operation, called “Ketupat”, which runs from Sept. 3 to Oct. 18.

He said that to prepare for problems, police had identified 13 factors that could disrupt the holiday or slow traffic: the weather, people roaming highways asking for handouts for mosque constructions, electricity supply disruptions, armed street crimes, street attacks by hard-line organizations, fuel shortages, illegal street markets, railway security and traffic accidents.

Last year, the National Police recorded 1,646 incidents of disruptions during the Idul Fitri holidays, in which 702 people died and 859 were injured, mostly in road accidents.

This year, police aim to deploy 89,521 officers throughout the country. Sunarko added that 50 to 60 police Mobile Brigade personnel would also be on alert.

“We will also place snipers at certain crucial points to anti-cipate threats to the public,” he said, but did not specify what sort of situations would call for the use of snipers.