Papua Police to guard election

Papua Police to guard election

PAPUA, Jayapura: The Papua Police are preparing two-third of its
personnel to guard the upcoming elections, a senior officer at
the police headquarters said on Wednesday.

"The 6,000 officers, or two-thirds of our total personnel,
will be backed by some 2,000 personnel from the Trikora Military
command overseeing Papua province," said Brig. Gen. Tommy
Jacobus, the deputy chief of the Papua provincial police.

The provincial police are deploying such a large number of
officers because security in Papua remains tens and violence
could occur during the election period between April to
September, he said.

The one-star general said threats to security in the province
could come from, among others, the Free Papua Movement, which has
been waging a low-level revolt in the province since 1963.

To help the Papua Police guard the elections, the National
Police Headquarters handed over a Cassa airplane to the
provincial police.

"It will be useful to mobilize personnel to remote areas that
cannot be reached by land," Tommy said. -- JP