Terrorism, Drugs will Still Disrupt Public Security in 2017: Police

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Issues of terrorism and drug abuse will continue to disrupt public order and security (Kamtibmas) in 2017, National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said here, Friday.

"In fact, incidents of terrorism and drug abuse will increase," Boy stated.

Terrorists on the polices most-wanted list (DPO) have yet to be arrested, so "the possibility of terrorist acts still exists," he remarked.

With regard to drug abuse including marijuana, the police have not been able to reach parts of the forest where marijuana has been planted.

"The war on drugs will continue," he stated.

In addition to cases of terrorism and drug abuse, the police highlighted cases of human trafficking, cyber crime, the smuggling of firearms, and illegal immigrants.

"We also expect social conflicts, such as problems with borders or within regions," he noted.

The police had earlier intensified its hunt for suspected terrorist Bahrun Naim, believed to be in Syria or Iraq, according to Boy.

"(To catch) Bahrun Naim, we are cooperating with other countries to uncover details of his communication network linking the cells. We have intensified this monitoring process, and we believe he is in Syria or Iraq," Boy reported here on Wednesday.

The Indonesian police is working in cooperation with the international community and is being supported by the foreign affairs ministry, Boy reiterated.

"Hopefully, he will be arrested one day with the help of the local authorities. But we acknowledge the challenging security situation in those countries and the current unrest and conflict between the local government and insurgents, especially ISIS," he stated.

Therefore, he added, finding Bahrun would not be easy for those countries.

"But clearly, given how they communicate with Indonesian youth, this issue has become our priority. We are monitoring those who have returned from these countries. We want to minimize the influence of ISIS and its negative impact on the nation," he noted.

Boy said the police would not allow the returnees to carry out violent attacks, such as those performed in Iraq and Syria.

"We are working in collaboration with local communities and religious leaders to detect any movements linked to ISIS," he remarked.

"In the end, the public has to show its resistance to any movement that could be linked to ISIS; only then can we minimize the chance of terror attacks," Boy stressed. (WDY)