Bali Cracks Down On Motorcycle Gangs In Tourist Hotspots

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Police in Bali are cracking down on motorcycle gangs and drivers with super-loud exhausts known as ‘brong.’

Police have been targeting gangs in Sanur and Seminyak, both popular resort areas with international tourists. 

Over in Sanur, a total of 60 motorbikes were seized by the police, all of which had loud brong exhausts added on, on the evening of Sunday 7th, April.

Brong, as in the exhausts, is not to be confused with the ‘barong,’ the mythological Balinese panther-like creature and traditional dance.

Police Commissioner Chief Ida Ayu Made Kalpika Sari has committed to taking firm action against drivers who install these illegal and disruptive exhausts onto their motorcycles. 

It is not uncommon for these drivers, who have all modified their vehicles in one way or another, to meet in public places, rev their engines, and sometimes race in the streets late at night.

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The raid on the vehicles involved 66 police, security officers, and pecalang who worked together to target the vehicles in question. 

Police Chief Commissioner Sari told reports that this particular group had been causing disturbances around Sanur and along the Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai. He noted that they had been previously observed speeding late at night and in the early hours of the morning.

The Sanur and Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai Area is home to tens of thousands of local residents, many of whom have young families, and is an increasingly popular resort area.

Sanur beachfront is home to big hotels, many smaller hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs within walking distance of the beach, sitting just off the Bypass Road.

Hundreds more bikes were stopped for inspections. 

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According to officers on patrol, several motorists attempted to escape inspection by doing a quick U-turn, and some even drove against the flow of traffic, but all were eventually caught by local pecalang officers. 

Police Chief Commissioner Sari said “this was an enchanted routine activity patrols, to create conditions to follow up on resident’s complaints about speeding. Including vehicles with exhausts that do not meet specification or what is better known as noisy exhausts or brong.”

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Regular patrols will continue in the area to ensure that the use of illegal and disruptive brongs is eliminated. 

A similar situation played out in Seminyak on Sunday evening, too. Dozens of teenagers hanging out at Simpang Kunti, Seminyak Village, were disbursed by traffic officers, police officers, and supporting security teams when they were caught speeding, driving loud brong motorcycles, and hanging out into the early morning. 

While many were permitted to quietly drive home, two motorbikes without plates and using brong exhaust pipes were taken into custody at the Kuta Police Headquarters. On Monday, two motorbikes whose owners were unknown to the police were still being detained at the Kuta Police station and were ticketed. 

Speaking to reporters, the Denpasar Police Head of Public Relations AKP I Ketut Sukadi confirmed, “Seeing dozens of people hanging out in the gas station area at the crossroads, the joint patrol team came over.”

“Seeing officers coming, dozens of teenagers tried to escape on motorbikes. Meanwhile, there were two motorbikes that had been abandoned by their owners at the crime scene.”

Both patrols and raids are part of a wider effort to make Bali’s roads safer. Over the last 12 months, the number of reported collisions on Bali’s roads has doubled.

This makes the island province the second most dangerous place to drive in Indonesia, aside from East Kalimantan. 

While the raids on illegal exhausts and reprimands for late-night racing and speeding will have an impact, tourists are still urged to seriously consider whether driving at night is a suitable option for them.

Tourists are repeatedly encouraged to check their insurance policies down to the tiniest of details to ensure they are covered medically and legally in the event of a collision while driving in Bali.