0 Burglary prompts call for more security

A burglary gone wrong, in which an Australian was stabbed repeatedly by the criminals who broke into his rented villa, has prompted a call for more and better security, with Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika criticizing villa owners for ignoring standard security measures. “A villa should have a minimum of one private security officer to guard the property and its guests. This is a very important measure to deter or prevent crime,” he emphasized. 

The retired three-star police general, who during his tenure as Bali Police chief initiated a comprehensive program to improve security at the island’s hotels, decried the fact that a large number of villas in Bali were an easy target for criminals due to their managements’ failure to install decent security and surveillance equipment, as well as their reluctance to allocate funds to hire security guards. “An act of crime takes place because of malicious intent [on the part of the criminals] and the presence of an opportunity. 

By failing to equip their villas with proper security equipment and guards, by ignoring the existing standards for security and safety measures, the managements of these villas have provided an ample opportunity for criminals to carry out their plans,” Pastika said. Pastika said that the recent incident should serve as a wake-up call to villa owners and operators, as well as for the local police. “I am deeply disturbed by the incident and I hope that the victim recovers soon. 

I will discuss this matter with the Bali Police chief and draw up an action plan that will see concrete measures being implemented to improve security on this island. We must act to prevent crimes from tarnishing Bali’s image as a safe, secure destination,” he vowed, adding that villa managements should register the address of their villas with the local police to assist the police in designing an effective patrol route. In Indonesia, security and crimes fall under the jurisdiction of the police, a centralized organization that answers only to the National Police chief. 

Unlike the governor, who is an elected public official, the regional police chief is appointed by the National Police chief, thus, has no obligation to bow to the governor’s demands. The fact that Pastika is a respected retiree of the force may give him additional leverage in the planned discussion. The incident Pastika referred to took place at around 2 a.m. on Friday, when two unidentified men broke into Villa Chloe in North Kuta. The occupants of the villa, Australian Paul Gill, 42, and his wife and two daughters, were sound asleep at that time. 

Detik.com reported that the burglars were taking an electronic gadget when Gill’s wife awoke and immediately screamed, alerting Gill. The skipper of a luxurious European cruiser attacked the burglars and managed to throw one of them out of the window before falling down after being stabbed repeatedly by the other burglar. Gill was rushed to BIMC hospital and is currently still being treated in its intensive care facility. A police report revealed that the man, described by his friends as being tough and strong, sustained seven stab wounds. 

Badung police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Komang Suartana said the police had interviewed two witnesses in the investigation. Villas, especially those in isolated places, have become a favorite type of accommodation for a growing number of vacationing foreign visitors, as well as expatriates. The lack of security measures — some of these villas are not even registered as villas, has made guests a soft target for criminals. In early 2011, a spike in violent robberies targeting guests at isolated villas in Badung and Gianyar led the police to a gang of criminals specializing in targeting foreigners residing in villas. 

“Robbing an occupant of an isolated villa clearly poses less risk to thieves than robbing somewhere in an urban housing complex, where police patrols are frequent and mobs could corner thieves in minutes. Isolated villas also provide robbers with plenty of surveillance time and ample escape routes,” the lead detective in the 2011 investigation, Soma Adnyana, said. Bali Police headquarters recorded a drop in the number of foreigners falling victim to various crimes in Bali during 2012. The year saw 132 foreign crime victims in Bali, compared to 219 people in 2011. They suffered petty to serious crimes, ranging from pick pocketing, to robbery, embezzlement, marital disputes, rape, physical abuse and murder.

source : bali daily