Team set up to hunt for forest burners
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The Riau Police have established a team to hunt for forest and land burners as open burning activities have become more rampant in the province.
Excessive burning has aggravated thick clouds of haze affecting areas in Riau and has forced the provincial administration to extend its smoke emergency status until March 26.
The joint team, comprising police and military personnel, forest rangers as well as prosecutor offices and National Disaster Mitigation Agency officials, is divided into nine groups consisting of between 50 and 70 personnel each.
Riau Police chief Brig-General Condro Kirono said similar teams were formed in the past.
“They all worked on their own, however. Now, they are united under one command,” said Condro, who is also deputy commander for law enforcement at the Riau haze mitigation task force.
He was speaking after dispatching the team in a ceremony at the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru on Wednesday.
“We deliberately formed a team to hunt for alleged land burning perpetrators so that, from now on, law enforcement can be carried out widely,” Condro said.
He further said police and military personnel involved in the operation would be equipped with weapons to create a deterrent effect.
