"As we know, hoax is currently rampant and booming. Hence, we prepare human resources to counter that."
Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The Public Relations Division of the National Police (Polri) organized a training course on "Counter Messaging" in Yogyakarta on Monday.

The activity, to last until Jan 30, was aimed at strengthening the capacity of police personnel in countering hoaxes on social media, Brigadier General FFJ Mirah, head of the division, stated here, Monday.

The training course`s instructors include an official from the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) from the US Embassy in Jakarta.

"As we know, hoax is currently rampant and booming. Hence, we prepare human resources to counter that," she emphasized.

The number of hoaxes on social media in the country has increased, as Indonesia is scheduled to organize simultaneous legislative and presidential elections on April 17, 2019, Mirah stated.

The Indonesian Police have in place appropriate devices to counter false or fake information and set up a cyber patrol team to trace accounts disseminating hoaxes and slander, she remarked.

The training course is delivered by Chief Of Operations US DOJ ICITAP Indonesia John Ruffcon and involves the participation of 22 police officers from the Police headquarters, Yogyakarta, Bangka Belitung, Riau Islands, West Java, Central Kalimantan, Gorontalo, North Sumatra, Central Jakarta, and Riau, among others.

Reporting by Lukman Hakim, fardah

Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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