The Jakarta Post, April 15, 2006
Police say security tightened for Easter
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
While Jakarta Police say they have ordered precincts to assign up to a third of their
personnel to guard local churches during Easter Sunday services, at least one church
says it is awaiting official word on security measures.
"Security assistance will be provided by each police precinct, our main job at the (city
police) headquarters is only to provide backup if needed," city police spokesman Sr.
Comr. I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana said Thursday.
The police chief has ordered each police precinct to assign a third of its total force to
protect local places of worship.
Ketut could not give exact numbers of personnel assigned to oversee observances at
the respective churches, saying: "It depends on how large the congregation is."
Police also are closely coordinating with churches and their organizations on security
measures, he said.
Following the deadly 2000 Christmas bombings in Jakarta, Bandung and Riau,
security personnel have prioritized safeguarding churches during important religious
holidays like Christmas and Easter.
A church gave a somewhat different version of the police's preparedness to safeguard
their premises.
The security coordinator of St. John's Catholic church in Blok B, South Jakarta, Anton
Sagino, said he had yet to be informed by the South Jakarta Police on security
measures for Sunday.
"As usual, we have asked members of the parish's youth group to secure the church,"
Anton said about the 30-strong group in charge of security on major holidays.
The church keeps its own metal detectors at the church entrance.
"The security guards from the neighboring shop-houses and stores also have
volunteered to help us," Anton added.
A letter requesting police security was sent to South Jakarta Police by the church,
but there was no response as of Thursday night.
"We are not blaming them. After all, there was heavy rain on Thursday," said
Anton.(10)
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
