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Solo holds counterterrorism drill
Trial and error: A cop pretends to be the victim of a terror attack during an exercise held in Surakarta on Thursday
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Trial and error: A cop pretends to be the victim of a terror attack during an exercise held in Surakarta on Thursday. (JP/Kusumasari Ayuningtyas) (JP/Kusumasari Ayuningtyas)
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span class="inline inline-none">Trial and error: A cop pretends to be the victim of a terror attack during an exercise held in Surakarta on Thursday. (JP/Kusumasari Ayuningtyas)
In an effort to bolster security preparedness during this year's Christmas and New Year's celebrations, as well as during the 2014 elections, the Central Java Police on Thursday held a terrorism simulation in public on Jl. Jenderal Sudirman in Surakarta, in which dramatized shootings and robberies were played out.
'We wish to enhance the alertness of our personnel in dealing with incidents that threaten security,' said Surakarta City Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Iriansyah on Thursday.
Iriansyah dismissed the notion that the simulation was done in Surakarta, widely known as Solo, because the city's image is associated with terrorism. According to him, the simulation was part of national security and order (Kamtibnas) exercises conducted by the Central Java Police from Monday.
'The exercises have been divided and Surakarta gets the anti-terror simulation, but that doesn't mean Surakarta has many terrorists,' said Iriansyah.
Separately, Central Java Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit chief Sr. Comr. Mohammad Badrus said Kamtibnas demanded vital attention, especially during Christmas, New Year's Eve and throughout next year's elections.
'Such a simulation will make our personnel as well as the general public aware of what they should do in the event of an attack,' said Badrus.
The simulation first enacted a scenario in a church. When police personnel were securing the church, a traffic officer was shot by four unidentified people riding on two motorcycles. Later, firearms searches targeting motorcyclists was conducted.
The scene was later followed by a dramatized bank robbery that involved four unidentified persons on two motorcycles shooting a police officer.
Police then pursued the robbers and a gunfight ensued between them. Police were able to arrest two of them and continued to chase the other motorcycle, this time assisted by troops dropping from a police helicopter.
Several terror threats have occurred in Surakarta over the last few years.
On Aug. 31, 2012, two terror suspects and two Densus 88 counterterrorism personnel were killed in a raid, while on the previous day unknown assailants on motorcycles fired shots at a police post in Singosaren, killing one police officer.
Before that, on Aug. 19, 2012, the eve of Idul Fitri, a grenade was tossed at a police post in Gladak. Three days earlier, unidentified motorcyclists shot at police officers in Gemblegan, Serengan. Two officers were injured in the incident.
On Dec. 15, 2011, a mob vandalized the Maria statue at the Sendang Prawita cave in Karanganyar, near Surakarta, while on Sept. 25, 2011, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Kepunton Bethel Injil Sepenuh church. More than 20 churchgoers were injured in the blast.
