Police need extra money for security

Police need extra money for security

JAKARTA (JP): In the wake of the numerous bombings across the
nation, National Police Chief Gen. Suroyo Bimantoro said on
Tuesday that the police needed an extra Rp 346 billion (US$36
million) to purchase high-tech security instruments to detect
explosives and drugs.

Legislator Amin Arjoso said that Bimantoro made the request in
a closed-door meeting with House of Representatives Commission II
for domestic and legal affairs on Tuesday evening.

"He (Bimantoro) said that with the increasing terrorist acts,
the nation badly needs these bomb and explosives detectors," Amin
told reporters after the meeting.

The equipment, Amin said, included several Barringer Ionscan
Model 400B units, which can detect and identify trace amounts of
explosives or drugs.

He also said that the budget allocation for the National
Police in the year 2001, amounting to Rp 3.2 trillion, was not
enough to buy the devices.

Police sources said the National Police plan to buy 10 Model
400B units at a cost of about Rp 1.2 billion each. The units will
be distributed to provincial police nationwide.

Amin added that Bimantoro had also asked for additional funds
for the purchase of two CN 235 airplanes, a ship and three
Russian-made M1 helicopters to improve its capabilities to
conduct operations in remote inaccessible areas.

A wave of bombings shocked the country last year, with the
latest on Christmas Eve claiming 18 lives nationwide. (ylt)