Christmas is almost here, and while many people’s thoughts are turning towards enjoying the holidays, the Jakarta Police are preparing to safeguard the holiday by deploying thousands of personnel to guard thousands of churches around the capital, including special security measures for a few churches considered to be particularly vulnerable to attack.
Jakarta Police Commissioner Martuani Sormin, said security forces will stationed around 1,680 churches throughout Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi.
Martuani also mentioned that nine of those churches will be given special security details.
“Those nine churches still have problems with citizens related to licensing,” he told Tempo today.
Martuani said he did not want to specify the nine churches he was referring to in order to avoid social unrest. But he did say police would be providing extra protection at those houses of worship.
There have been several instances this year of churches in and around Jakarta being demolished or having their construction halted due to protests from locals and hardline Islamic organizations.
In addition, last weekend police announced that they had foiled a series of planned attacks by ISIS-inspired terrorists across Java, with some of those plans including attacks in Jakarta over the holidays.
Martuani also said that police would be protecting several private homes used as houses for worship, as well as 17 shopping centers.
According to his figures, Martuani estimates that 8978 personnel will be deployed to secure Christmas celebrations consisting of members of the police, including its elite mobile brigade unit (Brimob) as well as members of the military.
Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Tito Karnavian previously announced that around 20,000 personnel would be deployed to protect New Year’s Eve celebrations in and around the capital.
