Jakarta urgently needs joint security force

Jakarta urgently needs joint security force

JAKARTA (JP): The city urgently needs a joint security force
to handle major disasters, a senior police officer said
yesterday.

The recent series of bomb hoaxes at dozens of buildings in the
city might one day be a spate of actual devices, Jakarta Police
Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata said.

"I can't imagine what the outcome would be if there was a big
fire in a skyscraper, or if a plane crashed in the heart of the
city," he said Monday.

Hamami was addressing a meeting of 350 security managers of
state and privately-owned institutions and buildings. He said the
presence of such a joint force is among the city's urgent needs.

"We should immediately discuss how to develop a qualified
integrated force," the two-star general said, "and not wait until
an inferno razes high-rise buildings leading to the loss of many
lives and much material damage."

The force, for example, could consist of medical crews,
firefighters and police, similar to teams found in many large
cities overseas, Hamami said.

In a big fire, for example, medical crews would be expected to
be ready to rescue injured victims.

Police would immediately secure the scene for investigation,
he said.

Hamami, who has mostly served in Jakarta and East Kalimantan,
said the capital is lucky given the relatively few fires the have
occurred in high-rise buildings and that there has been only one
serious flying accident here.

The latter was the crash of an Air Force C-130 Hercules
transport plane on Oct. 5, 1991 which slammed into a vocational
training center in Condet, East Jakarta.

The 13-year-old, ill-fated plane was carrying 135 troopers and
cadets who were taking part in a military parade as part of the
Armed Forces celebrations, when it crashed a few minutes after
taking off from the Air Force base at Halim Perdanakusuma. All on
board and a watchman on the ground died.

Hamami said a similar accident would be quite complicated to
handle if it occurred in the center of the city.

Among buildings destroyed by large fires here were the
Pasaraya Department Store which experienced two fires in the busy
Blok M shopping area in South Jakarta.

Hamami noted that the handling of the fire and ensuing
examination took a long time despite the deployment of hundreds
of security officers. Preparations for the quick evacuation of
possible victims also looked inadequate, he said.

Luckily, no fatalities were reported in either fire. (bsr)