Pecalang

Pecalang are a type of local security officers of an administrative village in Bali, Indonesia.[1] They usually are engaged in mundane tasks such as traffic control, but during large events are tasked with general security. They work in coordination with two other groups - the hansip and police. Both the hansip and pecalang are local security forces and report only to the village head, a kepala desa (akin to a Punong Barangay in Philippines). Nevertheless, all three security forces work together to provide security. Hansip and pecalang are not modern phenomena created for tourism; rather, Bali had hansip and pecalang security forces hundreds of years before the advent of modern tourism. These forces traditionally reported to one of the royal families of the historic Bali Kingdoms, also considered their eyes and ears.

Pecalang can be identified by their traditional and distinctive attire.

It has been reported that some 22,000 pecalang have been deployed for Nyepi celebrations in 2017.[2]

References
  1. http://www.indo.com/featured_article/pecalang.html Indo.com Pecalang involved in keeping big events secure in Bali
  2. "Balinese Hindus to Parade 7,000 Giant Puppets Ahead of Nyepi Celebration | Jakarta Globe". Jakartaglobe.id. Retrieved 2017-04-01.


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