Over 80,000 Cops to Secure Christmas, New Year Celebrations in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe, Bayu Marhaenjati, Dec 23, 2014

Officers of the Sidoarjo Police in East Java pray for a successful Operation
Candle on Tuesday. (Antara Photo/Suryanto)

Jakarta. The National Police said on Tuesday that they would dispatch no fewer than 80,560 cops to safeguard Christmas and New Year celebrations throughout the country this year as part of their annual Operation Candle.

During the operation, which runs from Wednesday until Jan. 2, the police will get help from the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), which will dispatch more than 19,500 personnel, and from other agencies, that will make available another 65,000 officers.

The officers will be stationed at 1,767 security posts and 603 service posts throughout the country and they will monitor 895 CCTV cameras especially set up for the operation.

“This operation consists of preemptive and preventive actions, which are supported by professional and proportional law enforcement,” Gen. Sutarman, the chief of the National Police, said on Tuesday in Jakarta.

“We will secure every place of worship, residential areas, tourism locations, stations, terminals, ports, airports and also other places where there would be a lot people gathering for Christmas and New Year celebrations,” he said.

Operation Candle, Sutarman said, would not only guarantee the safety of the people celebrating Christmas and New Year, but also make sure that the distribution of food and fuel is not disrupted.