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Riau Islands Police to be promoted to highest command level
The House of Representatives has supported the promotion of Riau Islands Police to become a type-A provincial police command, from which it will become a police headquarters led by a two-star general with greater resources to combat crime.
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Suspected: Riau Islands Police place barrier tape around a house belonging to Gigih Rahmat Dewa, 31, one of six Batam residents arrested in August for their alleged involvement with a terrorist network led by Bahrun Naim, an Islamic State (IS) member from Surakarta, Central Java. (thejakartapost.com/Fadli)
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he House of Representatives has supported the promotion of Riau Islands Police to become a type-A provincial police command, from which it will become a police headquarters led by a two-star general with greater resources to combat crime.
Lawmakers at the House’s Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, human rights and security, have considered it the right time for Riau Islands Police to have a higher status. As a border area, Riau Islands is highly prone to crime because it has been used as the main route for weapons and drugs smuggling, and human trafficking.
National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian was scheduled to officially announce Riau Islands Police’s promotion in a ceremony in Batam last Saturday.
However, Riau Islands Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. S Erlangga told The Jakarta Post Friday the event was cancelled until further notice as Tito’s father passed away Thursday.
Riau Islands Police is a type-B police command led by a one-star general. With the promotion, the police will not only get a two-star general as its chief but also additional forces and facilities to cope with the threats they are facing.
Commission III deputy speaker Tifatul Sembiring said the promotion of Riau Islands Police was the right move amid growing threats of security and public-order disruptions in the region.
“Apart from bordering with Malaysia and Singapore, in the north, Riau Islands is close to several other countries of Indochina. As maintaining security and public order is part of the National Police’s authorities, I agree that their [Riau Islands Police] capacity must be strengthened,” said Tifatul. (ebf)
