Police In HTS South Kalimantan Are Prohibited From Bringing Guns To Secure The 2024 Election

Illustration of police officers. (Between-Aprillio Akbar)

SOUTH KALIMANTAN - Head of the Hulu Sungai Tengah (HST) Polres (Kapolres) in South Kalimantan, AKBP Jimmy Kurniawan, has banned his men from carrying firearms (senpi) while maintaining security for the 2024 election on February 14.

"We prioritize the safety of residents, they can only carry sticks and handcuffs, there are about 218 personnel in charge of guarding all polling stations in Hulu Sungai Tengah," he said, at HTS, South Kalimantan, Tuesday, February 6, which was confiscated by Antara.

He said that there were already TNI members equipped with long-barreled weapons, and his party also had a special team that handled criminal acts so that the personnel guarding the TPS simply kept organic senpi at the headquarters.

"Today (February 6), we provide briefing to personnel who will be tasked with guarding the electoral TPS on February 14," he said.

He explained that the briefing was very important to ensure the readiness of personnel and completeness of all logistics for election security because careful preparation was needed to ensure the smooth running of elections in Hulu Sungai Tengah.

Some of the equipment, he said, started from communication tools, life safety tools, and others related to the implementation of elections.

He hopes that his staff will be able to carry out their duties properly and optimally in order to provide protection to the community so that elections run in an orderly, safe and smooth manner.

He directly led the briefing of election security personnel at the Hulu Sungai Tengah Police Headquarters.

"I remind personnel to always uphold neutrality and prioritize security during the election, the police are at the forefront of supporting the democratic process in the cooperation of the TNI apparatus," he said.