Security remains tight in Jakarta
Security remains tight in Jakarta
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Senen Police chief Adj. Comr. Suprijadi was all smiles as
passengers arrived on Monday afternoon at Senen railway station,
Central Jakarta.
"We haven't received any crime reports at this station since
the first day of Idul Fitri. I am so relieved that nothing
happened," he told The Jakarta Post, while observing passengers
alighting from a train.
Several of his subordinates were seen gathering at a command
post, which was built for Idul Fitri monitoring, while others
patrolled the station.
Suprijadi said that, despite the peaceful condition, he would
not allow his subordinates to drop their guard.
"We must be on the look out for thieves and pickpockets, but
also for anything suspicious in case of a terror attack. We don't
want to take a risk at this time," he said.
Suprijadi said around 30 police officers, including several
personnel from the bomb squad, had been assigned to the station
daily.
He said that every morning they searched the station for
explosives, while every evening they conducted random checks on
passengers.
Despite the uneventful holiday, city police are maintaining
tight security at public places in the capital, including bus
terminals, railway stations, the airport and seaport.
Many police officers were also seen at Kota railway station in
West Jakarta, Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta and Pulo
Gadung bus terminal in East Jakarta.
"We thank God that nothing has happened so far. We will
continue to guard these places until one week after Idul Fitri.
After that, we will evaluate the situation," Jakarta Police
spokesman Sr. Comr. I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana told the Post.
Earlier, the Jakarta Police said they had deployed thousands
of officers to several bus and railway stations, Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport and Tanjung Priok port to monitor post-
holiday arrivals.
They said they would conduct random checks of passengers'
luggage to look for guns, sharp weapons or bomb materials.
Ketut said the police remained on full alert after the Oct. 1
suicide bomb attacks on two cafes and a restaurant in Jimbaran
and Kuta in Bali, which killed 23 people and injured more than
130 others.
City police had readied around 17,000 personnel to secure the
city, some 13,000 of whom are deployed to secure the flow of
people entering the city.
They also stepped up security in certain places after
Detachment 88, the police's special antiterror squad, said there
was a high possibility of bomb attacks during Idul Fitri.