National Police Chief Instructs Staff To Prepare Disaster Risk Management

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo giving speech at the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), in Jakarta, Thursday (2/3/2023). (ANTARA/HO-Police Public Relations Division)

JAKARTA - The National Police Chief (Kapolri), General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, instructed all levels of the police at the central and regional levels to continue to carry out disaster risk management efforts to anticipate disasters and minimize the impact they cause.

"The readiness and quick response of the Polri ranks in the disaster area is a form of representation of the state's presence in society," Sigit said in a written statement quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, March 2.

The National Police Chief explained that disaster risk management efforts carried out by the police ranged from prevention, outreach, outreach, education, providing guidance, and quick response with relevant stakeholders.

In handling disasters, said Sigit, since the beginning the National Police have included policies on handling natural disasters into the strategic concept of transformation towards a precise National Police, contained in Operational Transformation.

Police personnel, continued Sigit, must be able to play a role both before a disaster occurs, when it occurs, and after it occurs.

The four-star general explained, during the emergency response period, the National Police had to prepare the best personnel to carry out rescue, evacuation, and identification via DVI, making emergency tents, and field kitchens, and preparing supporting facilities and infrastructure.

Then, after the disaster occurred, the National Police had to prepare concrete steps such as social psychology, trauma healing, health services, and conducting patrols in the area.

For the pre-disaster stage or before the incident, Sigit said, educational efforts must be made, either through video content, collaborating with the media, and strengthening the role of Bhabinkamtibmas to convey socialization to the community.

“This must be done and prepared especially in areas that are prone to disasters. Please check as soon as there is an incident how the simulation colleagues, training as soon as possible can come and the SOPs that have been prepared and what we are doing," said Sigit.

The former Banten Regional Police Chief added that apart from strengthening disaster risk management, the use of information technology is also needed in disaster management in the country.

The National Police together with related stakeholders have formed 91 Command Centers that can be adopted by all Polda ranks.

The use of this information technology was developed in handling forest and land fires (Karhutla), with the presence of the National Digital ASAP application.

Inside ASAP Digital National, said Sigit, it has CCTV live auto monitoring that can monitor a distance of eight kilometers, and rotates 360 degrees, there is a sensor that can display air temperature.

“We can get hotspot updates for five minutes. The most important thing is that the position of personnel movements in the field can be monitored," he said.

In this activity, Sigit emphasized that all stakeholders related to disaster management must have the same vision and mission regarding following up on President Jokowi's instructions regarding managing natural disaster risk.

"The rain doesn't stop, it's best to drink chocolate. Let's work together to protect, and present the country in the midst of the people," said Sigit.