Dan Eaton, Jakarta – Indonesia needs to double the size of its police force and give the military a clearer role if it hopes to cope with a multitude of security threats from terrorists to ethnic conflict, a report said on Monday.
Indonesia's 280,000-strong police force lacks the capacity to tackle the threats facing the world's most populous Muslim nation, the respected Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) said.
The report came as the country moved to a heightened state of alert, with extra police guards placed at hotels, churches and other meeting places, following warnings that Muslim militants were planning attacks over the Christmas and New Year period.
"The force needs to be doubled and its performance markedly improved before the military can be confined to external defence, the ultimate goal of most reformers," said the study entitled "Indonesia: Internal Security Strategy".
Indonesia has been hit by separatist and communal violence in recent years, as well as a series of bloody militant bombings. The Bali nightclub blasts two years ago killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists.
The report, which included interviews with officers conducted between May and June this year, said a "transition role" needed to be defined for the military, particularly given "grey areas" of responsibility, such as counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and outbreaks of serious violence.
In a vast archipelago with a population of more than 220 million people, Indonesia's total police force of some 280,000 officers represented a ratio of 1:810, compared with a generally accepted desirable ratio of 1:400, the report said.
The police only separated from the military in 1999 following the downfall of strongman Suharto, who used the army extensively to quash dissent during his 32 years in power.
The report urged donor nations to increase technical and financial support to the police while finding ways to re-engage with the Indonesian armed forces, tainted by allegations of human rights abuses and of acting with impunity in restive regions.
Australia and the United States have recently started to re-engage with Indonesia's military after a breakdown in relations following the violence surrounding East Timor's vote for independence in 1999.
Recent examples of assistance to the police include setting up a special anti-terror force last year called "Detachment 88", a unit of 400 officers trained by agencies such as the US Secret Service and the CIA.
The ICG called on newly elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, an ex-army general, to conduct a review of security policy and affirm the primary role of the police in safeguarding internal security.