Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has said a “population explosion” fueled largely by transmigration from other parts of the country is to blame for a recent surge in crimes targeting foreigners on the island.
The governor said on Tuesday that in the past three years, there had been a net inflow of at least 300,000 people into Bali, pushing the island’s total population to almost four million.
“Those are only the registered residents; there’s no saying how many people come and stay without registering,” he said.
He added the link between an increased population and rising crime was self-evident.
“Wherever you have humans, you have crime,” Pastika said.
“So the more the people and their problems, the more crime you’ll have. It’s a given.”
The governor also blamed long-term visitors for inviting crime by not integrating more closely with local communities.
“They come and build their villas in remote areas as they please, but they don’t socialize with the locals or the police, so eventually people start figuring out that these guys are an easy target for burglary or robbery,” he said.
Nonetheless, Pastika said the crime wave should not be taken lightly and called on tourism industry stakeholders to invest in security measures such as setting up CCTV cameras.
“Any cheap ones will do given the threat we face,” he said.
‘Population Bomb’ to Blame for Crimes Against Foreigners, Bali Governor Says | The Jakarta Globe
The governor said on Tuesday that in the past three years, there had been a net inflow of at least 300,000 people into Bali, pushing the island’s total population to almost four million.
“Those are only the registered residents; there’s no saying how many people come and stay without registering,” he said.
He added the link between an increased population and rising crime was self-evident.
“Wherever you have humans, you have crime,” Pastika said.
“So the more the people and their problems, the more crime you’ll have. It’s a given.”
The governor also blamed long-term visitors for inviting crime by not integrating more closely with local communities.
“They come and build their villas in remote areas as they please, but they don’t socialize with the locals or the police, so eventually people start figuring out that these guys are an easy target for burglary or robbery,” he said.
Nonetheless, Pastika said the crime wave should not be taken lightly and called on tourism industry stakeholders to invest in security measures such as setting up CCTV cameras.
“Any cheap ones will do given the threat we face,” he said.
‘Population Bomb’ to Blame for Crimes Against Foreigners, Bali Governor Says | The Jakarta Globe
