Police ready holiday security

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta Police will beef up security at churches and mosques as well as public places ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays to protect the public.

"The deployment will start a week before Christmas," city police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said on Tuesday. "The number of officers to be deployed in each church will be different, depending on the size of the congregation and the church."

The police will discuss the arrangements with the security division of the places of worship.

Since the Christmas bombings at several churches in the capital and other cities in 2000, churches have paid serious attention to security with some installing metal detectors.

Tjiptono said there would be bomb specialists assigned at each church. "The highest security concern is still bomb threats as the main suspects of several terrorist attacks are still at large."

Two main fugitives suspected of masterminding several major blasts in the country -- Azahari and Noordin Moh. Top -- remain at large.

Recent attacks on two churches in Palu, Central Sulawesi, have raised concerns among the public. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on the police to beef up security for the coming holidays.

Besides churches, the police will also tighten security at the city's major mosques such as Istiqlal Grand Mosque. "We don't want to leave out anything in our security system," Tjiptono said.

As for the New Year, the police are concentrating on traffic along major thoroughfares as many young people parade the streets to celebrate on New Year's Eve.

"We will also concentrate on recreation sites such as the Ancol Dreamland and the National Monument (Monas)," he added.