Leaders in Bali have reported that the newly introduced Tourism Civil Service Police Unit is not operating to its maximum potential.
The new units were trained in late 2023 and first deployed in early 2024, along with their specially trained Kintamani puppies, who have been serving as ‘tourist friends.’’
The officers are tasked with keeping public order, supporting tourists in need, and enforcing the Bali Tourism Tax Levy.
The Head of Badung Satpol PP, Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara, has spoken with the media about the impact the Tourism Satpol PP Units in Badung Regency have been having, since questions have been raised over whether the officers have even been on patrol of late.
He confirmed that there are still forty Tourism Satpol PP personnel on duty in the the area.
However, this number is considered low given the size of the Badung area as a popular tourist destination which includes hotspots such as Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, Jimbaran, Uluwatu, and Nusa Dua.
Suryanegara told reporters, “For now, we have forty Satpol PP Tourism personnel, so it is not too visible.”
“We place eight people per sub-district, namely in Mengwi, North Kuta, Kuta, and South Kuta Sub-districts. So the total is thirty-two people plus eight people for the [core group], so the total is forty personnel.”
He added, “The placement of these members is prioritized in the coastal area, and we rotate tasks, namely two people in the morning, two people in the afternoon, and the same the next day, because our stretch of coast is quite wide, namely from Tanjung Benoa to Cemagi.”
He said that initially, far more officers were recruited into the roles, but that the number of officers available has quickly decreased, leaving the Tourism Satpol PP Unit drastically understaffed to cover such a huge area of tourism resorts.
The solution is simple, he said, to train more officers and keep more officers employed in the system.
Suryanegara explained, “We must continue to prepare members outside the Tourism Satpol PP as many as eighty people. In addition, our members continue to decrease, namely, some who retire, are transferred, and some become [recruited] in other agencies.”
“Initially, the number of employees was more than four hundred, but now there are only two hundred people [province-wide].”
He also explained how his units have been operating with insufficient equipment. Even for the current forty officers to be able to operate in their role to the maximum capacity, a total of twelve motorcycle patrol vehicles would be needed, yet the officers are making do with just three.
One responsibility of the Tourism Civil Service Police Unit is to support Traffic Police Officers in reducing traffic congestion in Bali’s worst-affected areas in Badung Regency, especially in areas like Canggu.
Suryanegara said, “We need motorcycles, not cars. This is to avoid crowding on congested routes.”
Suryanegara is calling on the government to issue more funding to support the Tourism Civil Service Police Units to help keep tourists safe and local communities supported.
He told reporters, “So, to run Satpol PP Tourism optimally, the obstacles are personnel, facilities, and infrastructure. Several times we submitted [requests], the results were eliminated, and we asked for patience. The plan is to be able to in 2025. Hopefully, it will not be eliminated again.”
Bali Tourism Civil Service Officers can be identified by their ranger-style uniform and are often accompanied by their white Kintamani service dogs, who have been trained to be relaxed and comfortable while being petted by members of the public; they are not security or sniffer dogs.
One of the most frequent tasks of the Tourism Police Unit is to conduct spot checks on tourists to scan their Bali Tourism Tax Levy QR-code.
Alongside representatives from the Bali Province Tourism Office, Tourism Satpol PP officers are regularly stationed outside top attractions to scan QR-code and process payment from tourists who have been caught dodging the fee.
The Bali Tourism Tax Levy is a mandatory payment of IDR 150,000; payment can be made via the LoveBali app, the LoveBali website, or at the dedicated counter in the arrivals hall of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Leaders are reviewing the Bali Tourism Tax Levy policy to establish how sanctions can be introduced to encourage payment of the tax, as up to 60% of tourists have been failing to pay since the policy was introduced in February 2024.
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Thommo
Thursday 19th of September 2024
Never seen the taskforce. 40 of them to monitor tens of thousands of tourists each day. Are they flying around on magic carpets. A dumb underfunded unecessary idea to control generally very respectful tourists. The authorities still dining on a few relatively insignificant incidents of disrespect.
M
Wednesday 18th of September 2024
“We must continue to prepare members outside the Tourism Satpol PP as many as eighty people. In addition, our members continue to decrease, namely, some who retire, are transferred, and some become [recruited] in other agencies.”
“Initially, the number of employees was more than four hundred, but now there are only two hundred people [province-wide].”
It's a joke, isn't it? So you invested funds for a unit and in not even 1 year half of your troop is gone? Close that circus if you can't even put a paragraph in that contract that secures your officers to fulfil their job at least 3-4 years before giving them the possibility to join other units. Also the one who retired? So you employed people close to retirement age? 🤔 I'm an officer too, we got a maximum age for applying to our kind of job, there's also some physical tests which you should pass...
Isn't there something like a Court of Audit in Indonesia who checks when public money isn't invested in a proper way?
Exp
Wednesday 18th of September 2024
@M, "Isn’t there something like a Court of Audit in Indonesia who checks when public money isn’t invested in a proper way."
Yes it is. However the supreme audit agency (BPK) is also corrupt. One recent example of member taking a 40 Milyar bribe:
LINK So you see there is little hope.
Steve b
Wednesday 18th of September 2024
Disband the patrols, tourist don't want look puppy's,who's stupid idea was that to form this group, who carry documents with them on holiday the so called police must have instant technology to check ones status with a overseas licence etc its not up to the tourist to carry half an office on them,
Peter
Wednesday 18th of September 2024
Simple,use the money collected from tourist tax for more personal oh hang on where's all the money gone where do you think in the back pockets of officials bali style government
Exp
Tuesday 17th of September 2024
More funding for tourist police? Maybe that can have a sit down with the real police in Bali and find out how they cover their needs? Today I spotted a Hyundai Ionic police car (that cost 750 Juta) and several expensive police motorbikes. They must be awash with money.