Anti-counterfeiting unit works quietly

Anti-counterfeiting unit works quietly

JAKARTA (JP): Even if there hasn't been much in the news about
currency counterfeiting lately, it doesn't mean that all's well.

Chief of the State Intelligence Board (Bakin) Soedibyo
disclosed yesterday that a special unit dealing with cases of
currency counterfeiting is active all the time.

The difference with the anti-narcotic campaign is that given
the nature of its work, this unit works quietly to avoid any kind
of publicity.

"Any hint that counterfeit money is in circulation will affect
the people's trust and consequently affect the rupiah," said
Soedibyo, who is also the chief coordinator of this special unit
that consists mostly of police officers.

"It's a matter of policy that these cases do not get exposed
by the media," he added.

Police are continually fighting these counterfeit syndicates.

The results are only made public when the culprits are brought
to trial, Soedibyo said.

The problem is complex, he said, and therefore the personnel
require special skills.

A lot also depends on the tellers at money changers and banks
and their ability to detect counterfeit money, he said.

And the problems get worse. "We are not simply handling rupiah
counterfeiting now. We're also dealing with dollars and other
currencies," he said.

The campaign originally required the coordination of Bakin, as
stipulated in a 1971 presidential executive order. The other
problems included narcotic and youth delinquency.

Because of the complex nature of the problem, it was then
decided that a special unit to deal with currency counterfeiting
was necessary. (emb)