16,000 police to be deployed to safeguard poll

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java

West Java Police have readied 16,000 personnel, including an antiterror squad, to safeguard the 2004 general election, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Dadang Garnida said that the personnel would be deployed in 25 regencies or municipalities throughout West Java, from the start of the election campaign period on March 11 until April 5, when people cast their votes.

"The 16,000 comprise two-thirds of the total West Java police personnel," Dadang said.

The two-star general added that the West Java police had identified seven conflict-prone areas in West Java.

They were Bandung municipality, Bandung regency, Bogor municipality and Bogor, Garut, Tasikmalaya and Karawang regencies.

He said that the provincial police would be more alert in those areas, as the potential for conflict there was greater than it was in other parts of West Java during the 2004 general election.

The seven areas were conflict-prone, he said, because the crime rate there was greater than elsewhere in West Java.

In order to prevent violence and ensure a smooth general election in the province, West Java police were currently training police, for example, in how to handle crowds of protesters, he said.