Fachrul Sidiq, Jakarta – The National Police have instructed their personnel to improve security at houses of worship across the country following a number of attacks on clerics.
National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Syafruddin had briefed regional police chiefs in a teleconference conducted Monday.
"We have reminded regional police chiefs to increase the security of houses of worship and clerics. We received reports on some assaults, some of [the reported assaults] were proven to be false information," Setyo said at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta.
In the most recent case, a sword-wielding attacked and injured several churchgoers at the St. Lidwina Catholic church in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta, on Feb. 11. In January, a Muslim preacher was attacked in Bandung, West Java.
Police officers would be more frequently monitoring religious figures and deploying more personnel to safeguard certain religious events to ensure security, Setyo added. (dmr)