Japan to introduce 'koban' to Bekasi

JAKARTA: The Japanese government will introduce koban, or police posts, to Bekasi as part of a pilot project to help strengthen Indonesia's community policing, a Japanese envoy said on Thursday.

"The pilot project will provide community police posts with patrol cars, as well as a communication system," Japanese Ambassador Yutaka Iimura said during a discussion organized by the Indonesian Journalists Association.

"A building by itself is not enough as the police need to respond quickly," he said.

The ambassador said there were already several Japanese police officers in Bekasi preparing for the project, but he could not provide an exact date when the project would be launched.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department website, typical duties for officers assigned to koban include patrolling the neighborhood, giving directions, handling lost and found property, directing traffic and providing help for lost children. --JP