5 Interesting Facts about Densus 88 Anti-Terror Police, One of Which is Supported by the United States Government

JAKARTA – Special Detachment (Densus) 88 Anti-Terror Police is a special unit belonging to the Indonesian National Police which is trained to handle all types of actions terrorism in Indonesia. Its members have expertise and experience in strategies and tactics against criminal acts of terrorism.

Densus 88 is no longer a foreign name to the public. This unit often appears when there are major cases related to terrorism.

As one of the special units owned by the National Police, each member is a selected person who has undergone strict training so that they can carry out their duties well. Considering that terrorism is a fairly big case.

5 Interesting Facts about Densus 88 Anti-Terror Police

1. Formed because of the Bali Bombing Case

The forerunner to the formation of Densus 88 was triggered by the widespread terrorist bombings in 2001 and 2001, one of which was the Bali Bombing. From there emerged Presidential Instruction Number 4 of 2002 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Terrorism.

This instruction was strengthened by the issuance of Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 1 of 2002 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Terrorism.

Then the Anti-Terror Detachment of Bareskrim Polri began to be formed in 2003, followed by the issuance of the Decree of the Chief of Police Kep/30/06/2003 dated 30 June 2003, the Anti-Terror Detachment of Bareskrim Polri was validated and given a new name as Special Detachment 88 Anti-Terror Bareskrim Polri.

2. Every Province in Indonesia has Densus 88

Densus 88 at the center (Police Headquarters) has an estimated strength of 400 personnel consisting of investigation experts, explosives experts (bomb squad) and a strike unit which includes sniper experts.

Apart from that, each regional police also has an anti-terror unit called Densus 88, consisting of 45-75 people, but with more limited facilities and capabilities. The function of Densus 88 Polda is to examine reports of terror activities in the area.

3. Meaning of Number 88

The number 88 comes from the word ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act), which when pronounced in English reads Ei Ti Ekt. This pronunciation sounds like Eighty Eight (88).

So, the number 88 is not like what has been circulating that 88 is a representation of the largest number of Bali bombing victims (88 people from Australia), nor is it a representation of handcuffs.

4. Densus 88 is led by the Two Star Pati Polri

Densus 88 is led by the Head of Densus (Kadensus) 88 who is a two-star high-ranking National Police officer (Pati) or has the rank of Inspector General of Police. Currently this position is occupied by Inspector General of Police Sentot Prasetyo, he has served as Head of Densus 88 since December 7 2023.

5. Supported by the United States Government

Densus 88 AT Polri is also supported by the United States federal government through the Diplomatic Security Service of the United States Department of State.

Apart from the United States, Densus 88 AT Polri also carries out international cooperation with the Commonwealth of Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Republic of the Philippines, Japan, the Kingdom of Thailand, Malaysia, the Republic of Singapore, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Republic of France, the Kingdom of Spain, and the Federal Republic of Germany.

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