National Police to deploy more officers to Central Sulawesi

National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said Monday that he would deploy more police officers to Central Sulawesi to join the 8,000 other officers currently in the province following a number of clashes among local residents in the province.

“I will prioritize the police recruitment in Central Sulawesi. With good recruitment, hopefully we will find quality officers,” he said at the Central Sulawesi governor office.

The latest clash occurred on Saturday between residents from Nunu subdistrict, West Palu, and residents from the neighboring subdistrict of Tavanjuka, South Palu, killing a resident, identified as Ridwan a.k.a. Duang, 32.

Clashes between residents from the two subdistricts have happened on many occasions in the past, with the previous one, which left seven people injured, occurring on Dec. 23.

Timur cited that most clashes had occurred due to social issues.

“Police officers have to take measures to protect citizens in general,” he said, adding that it took patience and collaboration with local leaders to solve the problems.

Central Sulawesi deputy governor Sudarto played down the security situation in the province, saying the area had been “under control”, despite the incidents.

“There were security disruptions in several places, but only on a small scale,” Sudarto noted. (swd)