IOM and the Indonesian National Police (INP) have launched a series
of regional briefings for Uniform Branch officers on strategies and
coordination mechanisms to combat people smuggling.

The first meeting in Surabaya, East Java was attended by 180
officers from police stations across East Java.

Speakers included the INP's Chief of the Uniform Branch, the
Chief of Police for East Java, National Directors from Indonesia's
Marine, Community and Air Police and the Director of Enforcement at
the Immigration Department, together with representatives of the
INP People Smuggling Task Force, the Australian Federal Police and
IOM.

"The briefings are designed to outline the challenges posed to
law enforcement by people smuggling and familiarize participants
with Indonesia's current thinking on how to combat it. They are
then expected to brief officers in their respective stations to
raise awareness of the issue throughout the force," says IOM
Indonesia Chief of Mission Denis Nihill.

Similar regional briefings will be held in Balikpapan, East
Kalimantan, Batam, and Makassar, South Sulawesi over the next two
weeks. The series will continue later in the year at up to six
other locations.

The briefings follow a similar IOM / INP initiative that
targeted over 800 senior officers from all over Indonesia at
national police conventions in Jakarta earlier this year.

IOM Indonesia's coordination efforts to combat people smuggling
are carried out under its Australian-funded Reinforcing Management
of Irregular Migration (RMIM) project.

For more information, please contact:

Jihan Labetubun

IOM Indonesia

Tel: +62.8111907028

E-mail: "mailto:jlabetubun@iom.int">jlabetubun@iom.int