Hotel associations to improve security system

As the first decade anniversary of the 2002 Bali Bombing approaches the Bali Hotels Association (BHA) and the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) pledged to continue enhancing the island’s hotel security and safety toward a comprehensive integrated system.

“Security and safety is not only about putting in security guards and checking luggage, it’s a comprehensive approach. You have to be able to detect suspicious behavior, check cars and luggage properly, and so on. It is an integrated safety and security system. We’ve developed a tool for the hotels to evaluate their level of preparedness,” BHA’s security and safety executive Alexander Kesper told Bali Daily on Monday.

He was speaking following the BHA’s recently concluded workshop on hotel safety and security last week. At the workshop, the BHA presented a new version of its Hotel Security and Safety Self-Assessment Tool, while facilitating the Bali Security and Safety Emergency Radio Communications System, which is now managed by BHA’s Security Managers Association.

The BHA Hotel Security and Safety Self-Assessment Tool aims to empower hotel managements to assess their own security and safety readiness in a very thorough and comprehensive way independently.

At present, BHA is cooperating with ASEAN to develop the ASEAN Hotel and Resort Security and Safety Guidelines which are part of the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015.

Among the integrated safety and security measures practiced by BHA is the radio communication system, which has for the past four years been connecting 76 star-rated hotels registered with BHA, which has 103 star-rated hotel members.

When catastrophes like bombings, earthquakes and tsunami occur, communication methods were usually destroyed, unable to work or overloaded. Communication breakdowns were always the problem after catastrophes, like in Hawaii, Aceh and Florida, Kesper stated. “Thus, we created this UHF radio communications network in Bali after the Marriott hotel bombing incident in Jakarta four years ago, because we wanted to make sure that we could connect all the BHA members with each other, with the police, with the disaster management agency Pusdalops and with the embassies,” said Kesper.

The BHA radio communication network, which costs several thousand US dollars for its equipment and maintenance, has seen technological improvements with better repeater stations equipped with power backups and the ability to send signals over wider areas of southern Bali — Kuta, Legian Seminyak, Tabanan, Nusa Dua and Ubud. “So far, it’s operated on a voluntary basis and free of charge for our members. I’m positive that within the next few months, all our members will be connected to the system.”

“The hotel and tourism industry in Bali has the responsibility to make Bali as safe as possible. Security and safety is an ongoing process. Thus, BHA constantly enhances its ability to respond to any danger and any threat in Bali,” said Kesper, who is also a senior advisor to the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry.

Separately, the Bali chapter of PHRI said it was currently also in discussions with the Bali Police to establish an integrated system of security and safety for all hotels on the island. “The plans being discussed for integrated security and safety systems for hotels will regulate the hotels from the time they are being constructed.”

“For example, the structure of the building should be ready to withstand earthquakes or tsunami. Hopefully, the plan can be implemented by December,” said Bali-based PHRI secretary Perry Markus. He acknowledged that currently, the 2,000 members of the Bali chapter of PHRI, which range from star-rated hotels to homestays, do not have an integrated security and safety system. Among the security measures that PHRI targets is the installment of surveillance cameras directly monitored by personnel at the Bali Police headquarters.

Sourced: thejakartapost