National Police Deploy Second Batch of Education Task Force to Strengthen Forest Fire Prevention
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian National Police (Polri) has again deployed 322 personnel from its Education and Training Institution (Lemdiklat) as part of the Education Task Force to strengthen the prevention of forest and land fires.
Head of Lemdiklat Polri, Police Commissioner General R.Z. Panca Putra Simanjuntak, said that in this second wave, the personnel being deployed are students of the Senior Leadership Staff School (Sespimti), the Intermediate Leadership Staff School (Sespimmen), and the Police Professional Development School (SPPK).
“Today we assembled them in accordance with the instructions of the Chief of the National Police, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, and the Deputy Chief of Police, Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo, following up on the directive of President Prabowo Subianto to deploy the Education Task Force, particularly from students and personnel of the National Police Headquarters,” said Panca at the STIK-PTIK Polri building in Jakarta on Monday.
Panca said the hundreds of personnel would be sent to six regional police commands: East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Riau and South Sumatra. They will serve for ten days.
“They are carrying out this activity as an inseparable part of their educational programme through the curriculum they are currently undertaking, namely the Domestic Field Lecture (KKDN) and Field Work Practice (PKL),” he explained.
As the personnel already hold high-level managerial positions, they will not merely educate the public but also evaluate and study the problems faced in each region as part of efforts to prevent future forest and land fires.
The input is expected to serve as recommendations for improvement, both for the National Police and for regional and central governments.
“They will evaluate how operational management strategies related to forest fire prevention can be pursued through an operational approach,” he said.
Regarding the departure schedule, Panca said his side was still awaiting confirmation, given that flight routes have been affected by the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.
“What is certain is that they should have been dispatched today, but we are awaiting communication with the airport and observing the flight situation there. However, as soon as possible, as ordered by the Chief of Police, we must deploy them so they can help,” he said.
Previously, Polri deployed 403 personnel from Lemdiklat Polri to educate the public on forest fire prevention.
Those hundreds of personnel comprised eight accompanying officers or leaders and 395 students from the S2-STIK programme, the Officer Candidate School (Setukpa) and the First Leadership Staff School (Sespimma).
The deployed personnel not only issued appeals but also conveyed understanding of the causes and impacts of forest fires, as well as the importance of community involvement in preventing them.