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.