Bali's Civil Service Police Deploy Specially Trained Personnel to Secure Tourism Sector

Denpasar (ANTARA) - The Civil Service Police (Satpol PP) in Bali, particularly at the provincial level and in Badung and Buleleng regencies, have deployed specially trained human resources to secure the tourism sector in their respective areas.

“Today we have just completed a capacity-building programme through technical guidance for the Tourism Satpol PP from three regions — 30 personnel at the provincial level, 40 from Badung Regency, and 10 from Buleleng,” said Head of the Bali Satpol PP, Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi, in Denpasar on Friday.

Dewa explained that the 80 personnel placed in the specialised units — belonging to both the Bali provincial Satpol PP and those in Badung and Buleleng — are specially trained officers equipped with various knowledge and skills.

“They are specifically deployed for communication, information, and education purposes. They can certainly speak foreign languages, as they receive language training twice a year, as well as self-defence training on how to subdue individuals without causing injury,” he said.

With the establishment of these specialised units, personnel will work exclusively at tourist attractions within their respective jurisdictions, he said.

He explained that beyond knowledge training, they have also been provided with uniforms distinct from the standard Satpol PP attire. The units project a friendlier image through more casual clothing and are accompanied by trained local dogs.

In their operations, the Tourism Satpol PP units will continuously patrol tourist sites in rotation, with the task of providing guidance to tourists who commit violations.

“This is the duty of the Tourism Satpol PP — to minimise violations through education, informing visitors about what is and is not permitted when visiting Bali. We can already see from the figures that the number of tourist violations has decreased; only traffic-related violations remain high,” he said.

Beyond ensuring tourists do not commit violations, Dewa said the specialised units are also tasked with managing unlicensed traders and local residents who may potentially disturb tourist activities, ensuring that visitors to Bali always feel safe and comfortable.

With nearly 500 tourist sites spread across Bali, he said the provincial Satpol PP is encouraging other regencies and cities to promptly establish their own Tourism Satpol PP units, which could subsequently receive capacity-building support from the Bali Provincial Satpol PP.

With this upstream approach to management, Dewa Dharmadi expressed confidence that Bali’s tourism will continue to improve and the island’s image in the eyes of the world can be maintained.

“Since tourist destinations are spread across all regencies and cities, in order to maintain the quality of culture-based tourism, the government’s role through the Satpol PP should be replicated so that the quality of tourism services can be better guaranteed and maintained,” he said.