News & Events - Bali Forms Task Forces to Assist Foreign Tourists

Bali Forms Task Forces to Assist Foreign Tourists Bali police announced on Monday that new special task forces have been formed that will provide rapid response in cases of crime and accidents involving foreign tourists on the island.

For the time being, the task forces are only operating in Denpasar and the districts of Badung and Gianyar, said Sr. Comr. Adi S. Putra, the Bali police director for tourism security.

“We want to be proactive and do not have to wait for reports when something happens to tourists,” Adi said.

The patrol task force, currently composed of 20 personnel, is supported with a van labelled “to Serve and Protect” and contains tables and chairs, computers and printers enabling them to receive reports. Bali police will be able to receive complaints on site from tourists, so they do not have to go to police stations and file reports.

The beach task force has 10 personnel and they were given motorcycles to conduct patrols on tourist beaches.

The two task forces were deployed in a number of popular tourist sites, including Sanur, Kuta, Seminyak, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua.

“The chosen personnel are all professional, have a mastery of foreign languages, information technology and tourism knowledge,” Adi said.

He also said the two task forces will coordinate with coast guards, lifeguards as well as the maritime police “so that there is hope that tourists who fall victim to crimes or accidents can be more quickly handled and rushed to the hospital.”

Adi said the teams were not yet operating around the clock.

The Bali Central Bureau of Statistics said 2.82 million foreign tourists visited Bali in 2011, a 9.72 percent increase over the previous year.

Bali police recorded 177 foreign tourists became victims of crimes while holidaying in Bali last year. The majority of crimes were theft, robbery, manhandling, pick pocketing and sexual harassment.

source : thejakartaglobe