National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said the police’s measures against groups and individuals believed to have been planning attacks during Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations had significantly lowered the security risk during the holiday season.

 “After all the efforts we have made, the potential [for disturbances] is small. Among areas still prone to security threats are Central Java and Jakarta,” Tito told journalists during a press conference at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday. In the press conference, he explained the police’s security threat report for 2017.

The Jakarta Police recently shot dead two alleged terrorists and arrested two others in Jatiluhur, West Java. They were believed to have been planning to carry out attacks on the police during New Year’s Eve.

Tito said terrorism was still one of the most important security issues and the police would continue to prioritize hunting down the remaining members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist cell in 2017. The group was formerly led by notorious terrorist Santoso, aka Abu Wardah, who was shot dead in Poso, Central Sulawesi, in July.

They will also continue to monitor the movements of terrorist cells connected with Bahrun Naim, who was reported to have joined the IS extremist group in Syria, he added.

Tito further said the police would improve their cyber-surveillance capabilities to limit the spread of radical ideology online. (ebf)