Strike teams to target people smuggling

Australia will help Indonesian police train and equip new specialist strike teams
that will target people smugglers across the archipelago.
Senior Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers this week met with Indonesian
National Police counterparts to discuss how to spend new federal government funding,
announced in last month's budget, to help Indonesia tackle people smuggling.
AFP Deputy Commissioner Tony Negus said Australia wants Indonesia's provincial
police forces to have access to strike teams, spread out across the country,
specially trained to deal with people smuggling activity as it arises.
The AFP would provide training, surveillance equipment, and intelligence to help
ensure Indonesian police get "the best results", he said.
The new approach represents a significant boost in cooperation between the AFP and
Indonesian police, he said.
"But I would like to also point out that the Indonesian National Police have been
very successful in stopping people getting on boats already."
AFP officers in Indonesia would remain based in Jakarta but could spend time in the
regions working with the strike teams, "with the assistance and permission of the
Indonesian National Police", Negus said.
The law enforcement meeting coincided with a visit to Jakarta by Home Affairs
Minister Bob Debus, who discussed people smuggling with Indonesia's Law and Human
Rights Minister Andi Mattalatta.
Debus used the meeting to reinforce with Mattalatta the importance Australia places
on tackling illegal immigration and people smuggling.
"We wish to deepen and strengthen our partnership with Indonesia as we deal with
these and other matters," Debus told reporters.
Debus said the cooperation between the AFP and Indonesian police was significant and
successful.
"There's no question that a lot more potential asylum seekers have been stopped from
getting on boats since the beginning of 2008, than have actually got on them and
gone to sea," he said.
Debus' meeting came as Indonesia detained 59 Afghan and Pakistani migrants and four
alleged people smugglers trying to send them to Australia.