Police need Rp 1b to secure MPR session

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta Police will need Rp 900 million (US$86,788) to Rp 1 billion ($96,432) to secure the People's Consultative Assembly Annual Meeting slated from Nov. 1 to Nov.10, a senior official said on Wednesday.

"If the situation remains normal, we will spend Rp 900 million to Rp 1 billion on providing food for police personnel," city police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said on Tuesday.

Anton said, however, that the money might balloon to Rp 3.5 billion to 4.5 billion, should the situation deteriorate.

"The money, however, has yet to be disbursed (by the Assembly)," Anton told The Jakarta Post.

A total of 5,660 security personnel, involving all units from the police headquarters, backed up by the Jakarta Military Command, would be deployed to secure the event, he said.

"However, the number could be increased to around 16,500, 26,000 or even to 41,500 if the situation in the capital worsens," Anton said.

He said that officers had already been deployed for the security operation, which runs from Oct. 25 through Nov.17, to secure venues, buildings, facilities, routes, and people connected with the MPR sessions.

Apart from the compound of the House of Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly (DPR/MPR), the security personnel would also safeguard other locations, such as the State Palace, business centers and other important public places.

Anton said personnel would be divided into four security layers.

The first, securing the House, would be armed, while layers two, three and four would be equipped with standard-issue weapons to confront mass demonstrators and rioters, such as tear gas canisters, blank and rubber bullets, shields and sticks, he said.

Anton also said the police had received notification from two groups that intended to stage rallies in front of the House compound on the first day of the MPR session.

The two are some 1,000 members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), led by Jafar Siddick, and another 1,000 members of the Islamic Youth Front of Surakarta (FPIS), under the command of Cholid Hassan and Warsito Adnan, he said.

Anton said security officers would allow them to hold rallies as long as they did not turn violent.

"We will also disperse them if the participants exceed the numbers already notified," he said.

The police said on Tuesday that they had identified a number of radical groups that might disrupt Assembly sessions.