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)