Fugly Bali
Kept out of the news, Bali is suffering a crime epidemic.
Balinese murder, drive by shootings, kidnappings and pedophile rings!
Only when it is in the news does a Balinese police officer act like one!

It is a sad fact, Bali has an enormous crime problem targeting holiday makers and residents alike. But it seldom gets reported as people mistrust and even fear the police. When it gets reported, the police are likely only to act a) If they can make some extortion money out of it, or b) If outside pressure (such as news stories) makes them do so. You can read more about the mafia style Balinese Police by clicking the link. And even when they do act, the action and result is not readily reported. News of crime is suppressed in Bali, a good human report on this can be found here / click here.

Here are a list of the crimes that proliferate on Bali;

1) Pedophile Rings
Bali has a huge child abuse problem, which has now made the Australian press, so the police are now doing something (although something probably means little and profit motivated).

2) Child Prostitution
Many young Indonesians are illegally married off at 11 or 12 years old. Often this results in them being forced into prostitution on Bali's streets. Many hotels, including the International brand Hard Rock Kuta tolerate questionable extra persons being allowed into guest's rooms, which basically endorses / creates the problem.

3) Contract Murder
In Bali, it is possible to hire a hit man to kill or seriously injure another human being at very low rates. Having a local killed costs less then having, say, a foreign tourist killed. But it is possible to have either done.

4) Murder
Often committed by "pecalangan", local bully boys / vigilantes who reign the streets in the police void caused by the police officers' self-interest, laziness and corruption. Murder is seldom reported, but extremely rife. Neighbours kill neighbours over petty disputes and / or theft and / or political allegiances and then pay off the police to escape justice if they get caught. Everything has a price in Bali.

5) Kidnappings
Gangs, often associated with gambling rings which attract foreigners, have been known to kidnap guests to Bali.

6) Illegal Refuse and Effluence Dumping
See our health risks page for more details, but this has certainly contributed to an increase in serious diseases such as cholera and malaria found in Bali. Locals often dump their refuse / effluence around the tourist areas to save money. But as these tend to be the less wealthy locals, the police presumably do not act as they have little scope for corruption.

7) Theft
From stealing your handbag to short changing you, theft is a major problem in Bali. Some foreigners have even been mugged and / or followed in their cars for miles before being robbed (robbers tend to slit a victim's car tyre at a red light and then wait for them to pull over). Many robberies happen at night and include burglaries by armed intruders.

8) Drive By Shootings
This happens frequently in the tourist south, be warned. Targets tends to be entertainment venues.

9) Extortion
If you do something wrong in Bali and someone finds out about it (or believes they can convince the police you have done something wrong even when you have not), they will likely try and extort money from you. If they can not (or even if they can), they are then likely to report you to the police who will also likely try to extort money from you. And remember, Indonesia has a terrible reputation for lawyers working with the police to extort money from their own clients! Even judges are known the widely make a decision but then call the potential case winner to their chambers to make a "donation" in order to be given that judgment.

10) Civil / Human Rights Abuse
You do not need to look or search far on the Internet to find that Indonesia has an appalling record of civil and human rights abuse (try Human Rights Watch - but, of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg). Which is not surprising from a country where the Minister for Human Rights and Justice compared himself with Hitler!

Please remember, if you get into trouble in Bali, the police will likely view this as a money making opportunity not something that requires civil service. If you need to appoint a lawyer in Bali, there are no foreign lawyers (Indonesia prohibits this for obvious reasons), and most are inept, corrupt or both. Please also remember that human and civil rights abuse in Indonesia is appalling, thanks in part no doubt to the Indonesian Minister of Justice and Human Rights comparing himself to Adolf Hitler (no, really, it is not a joke). And the fact that the Indonesian government refuses to sign up to the all important International conventions on human rights. So there is very little or no recourse to victims outside Indonesia, and of course none inside Indonesia.

Please do not become a victim or part of the problem. Read:
Bali Tourism (Should I go, where, and how do I avoid adding to the problem / putting myself / my family at risk in Bali?).


About Fugly Bali
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Bali's Mafia Police
Crime Epidemic
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Major Health Risks
Risky Bali Areas
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Suharto's Businesses
Terrorism Risks
The Poor Balinese
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Warnings & Reports
Where's Paradise?
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Please also visit the anti-corruption & fraud website Bali BS

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