Special course for cops starts

LIDO, Bogor, West Java (JP): Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata opened a police ready-to-fight course yesterday for officers at the police school here.

Hamami said the four-week course was to improve the officers' crime curbing skills, because crimes tended to be more brutal nowadays.

The course has three main subjects; shooting, scuba-diving and self-defense.

Hamami said the officers would be "in the front line" in cases of disturbance, violence or riots.

"The officers, will be posted to areas considered prone to crime, violence or disturbances," he said. "But the officers must abide by the rules when handling cases, or else they could make the cases more complicated."

He said criminals were growing more violent and more vicious toward their victims, including old people, women and children.

"This has been disturbing people's feelings of security," he said.

The course, involving about 400 students, is the first in Java, since in 1960. A senior officer said the last of this kind were held in Java from 1958 to 1960.

Meanwhile, National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo, said in the monthly ceremony at Headquarters in Jakarta yesterday that all cases, even small ones, deserved serious attention. "Don't ever take a small case for granted. Trivial things may develop into big issues."

"People are now easily provoked to violence for even small problems," Dibyo said.

"Police officers must be able to handle every case properly, and restrain themselves from doing wrong because this could worsen the situation," Dibyo said.

Police have been under fire for the Tasikmalaya riot, which started after four officers tortured a Moslem teacher and two students.

The officers have been sacked and are now standing trial for causing the bloody riot in December last year. (04/sur)