Special course for cops starts

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)