Police Mid-Level Leadership Students Educate Ogan Ilir Residents on Forest Fires and Distribute Masks
Students from the 67th Regular Education Programme of the Police Mid-Level Leadership School (Sespimmen), under the Indonesian National Police Education and Training Institute (Lemdiklat), have travelled to Ogan Ilir Regency, South Sumatra, to educate the community on the collective prevention of forest and land fires (karhutla).
These students are part of the second wave of the Forest and Land Fire Prevention Education Task Force. According to reports received on Saturday (12/09/202lag), the participants began their educational activities on Wednesday (09/09) afternoon. The socialisation efforts, which included distributing masks around the Citra Indralaya Housing complex in Indralaya District, were conducted alongside community engagement.
The students also urged residents to report immediately to the police if they encounter smoke or hotspots that could potentially escalate into fires. The distribution of masks was carried out as residents face the potential for declining air quality due to forest fire smoke.
The Ogan Ilir Police Chief, AKBP Rizka Aprianti, expressed appreciation for the arrival of the Sespimmen students, noting that their presence represents the National Police’s commitment to being present within the community. “We appreciate the involvement of these trainees in helping to deliver education to the public while simultaneously distributing masks. This is a tangible form of the National Police’s presence in the community, particularly in facing the potential impacts of forest fires,” said Rizka.
Previously, it was reported that the National Police deployed 322 personnel from the second wave of the Forest and Land Fire Prevention Education Task Force to the Sumatra and Kalimantan regions. These personnel, who are managerial-level trainees, are tasked with conducting both education and evaluations regarding field strategies for handling forest fires.
The deployment was led directly by the Deputy Chief of the National Police, Commissioner General Dedi Prasetyo, and the Head of the National Police Education and Training Institute, Commissioner General R.Z. Panca Putra Simanjuntak. Prior to their departure, the personnel attended a briefing assembly at the STIK/PTIK Polri Complex in South Jakarta on Monday (07/09).
“Today we are conducting a briefing and the departure assembly for the second wave of the Education Task Force. The participants include trainees from the High-Level Leadership School (Sespimti), Mid-Level Leadership School (Sespimmen), and the Police Officer Basic Training (SPPK) under the coordination of the Lemdiklat Leadership Division,” Komjen Panca told reporters at the location.
Panca explained that this assignment is a follow-up to instructions from President Prabowo Subianto to the Chief of National Police, Listyo Sigit Prabayo, to strengthen prevention measures. Unlike the first wave, which focused primarily on counselling, the second wave of the task force has the additional responsibility of conducting evaluations.
“Because they occupy top and mid-level managerial positions, they are expected to go beyond mere education by conducting evaluations and studying regional issues as an effort to prevent forest and land fires,” Panca clarified.