“Which are the polling stations? We cannot announce that. But we have prepared extra security measures involving National Police and Indonesian Military personnel for those conflict-prone polling stations,” said Surakarta Police head Sr.Comr. Ribut Hari Wibowo after a call for readiness ceremony at Manahan Sports Stadium on Monday.

Ribut said that of the 1,016 polling stations set up for the Central Java gubernatorial election only a small number were considered prone to conflict. However, he said the police did not want to down play the potential for any security disruptions.

To secure the election, he said, the Surakarta Police had joined a security operation code named Operasi Mantap Praja Candi run by the Central Java Police.  

“In Surakarta, we will dispatch 900 personnel specially to secure polling stations on Tuesday and Wednesday. Our officers will focus on securing the voting process, vote counting and safeguarding ballot boxes,” said Ribut.

He said among the potential security disruptions officers would be on the look out for during this year’s Central Java gubernatorial election were bomb threats. “These simultaneous regional elections can become terror threat targets. All officers must stay vigilant,” said the police chief.

In total, 1,050 joint personnel, including police officers, will be stationed at 1,016 polling stations in five districts across Surakarta during Wednesday’s vote. (ebf)

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