Bali’s image has suffered a brutal blow in recent months following a string of high profile violent attacks involving foreign alleged perpetrators and victims. The grisly list of gruesome cases includes kidnapping, torture, premeditated murder and organised crime, as well as foreign fugitives trying to abscond to the iconic Indonesian island, prompting concerns that the nation is soft on crime and that Bali is becoming increasingly dangerous.However, in mid-April, police spokesperson Ariasandy, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, rebuffed the idea that beautiful Bali – a favourite destination for Australian travellers – has become the target of international criminal groups.“We cannot say it is a mafia hide-out. Bali is a world tourism destination open to everyone, domestic and foreign,” he said. “We cannot say organised crime is targeting Bali. These cases are initially triggered by problems in their home countries.” Just some of the most concerning recent cases include that of Ukrainian Igor Komarov, who was kidnapped on February 15 by a gang of foreign nationals while driving a scooter in the popular seaside hangout Jimbaran, with footage quickly circulating on social media showing him covered in blood with two black eyes. In the footage, Mr Komarov begged for help from his family and suggested that his kidnappers had asked for a $US10 million ($13 million) ransom. On February 27, body parts were found in a state of advanced decomposition on a beach in the Sukawati district, and were found to belong to the Ukrainian following DNA testing. The police said that six foreign nationals were involved in the suspected kidnapping and murder, with four believed to have left Indonesia and two still at large. On March 23, Dutch national Rene Pouw was stabbed to death in night life hotspot Kuta after walking at night with his Indonesian girlfriend. According to police, two Brazilian nationals have been named as suspects and are thought to have fled Indonesia.Interpol Red Notices – worldwide requests for law enforcement to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition or other legal action – have been sought by the Indonesian police for the arrest of Mr Pouw’s alleged killers.In addition to the recent cases of Pouw and Komarov, Bali was also rocked by the premeditated murder and shooting of Australian father Zivan Radmanovic last year when the villa where he was staying with his wife was stormed by two men. Fellow Australians Mevlut Coskun, Paea I Middlemore Tupou and Darcy Jenson all fled the island following the bloody murder, however, the trio were swiftly apprehended. Jenson was caught while trying to leave Indonesia through Jakarta’s International Airport, while Coskun and Tupou were found in Singapore and Cambodia after Indonesian police co-ordinated closely with Interpol.In early March this year, Coskun and Tupou were found guilty by the Bali District Court of premeditated murder as well as possession of a firearm, and sentenced to 16 years behind Jenson received a 12-year sentence after being found guilty of assisting premeditated murder.They claimed they were sent to Bali to collect a debt for a man in Australia, who they refused to identify.Interpol Red Notices have also been used in Indonesia to prevent undesirable visitors from entering the country and return them to face the law elsewhere. On March 28, Steven Lyons, a high-profile Scottish gangland figure, was arrested when he tried to enter Bali via its I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. Bali police boss Daniel Adityajaya told media at the time that Lyons was alleged to be the leader of “a large-scale transnational criminal organisation engaged in drug trafficking and money laundering”. He has since been deported to Amsterdam and is expected to be extradited to Spain to face charges related to alleged drug trafficking and money laundering.Speaking following Lyons’ deportation, the head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Bali, Budgie Kurniawan, said the Scotsman was a “mafia boss and Interpol fugitive”.“We will not allow Indonesian territory, especially Bali, to become a haven or base of operations for international criminals,” he added.According to Jacqui Baker, a lecturer in Southeast Asian politics at Perth’s Murdoch University, the international nature of the tourist economy means Bali is an extremely challenging territory to police. “It is a place that caters to very diverse tourist demands, which opens up illicit economies of drugs and alcohol. It is also a haven for waves of international residents fleeing their own legal regimes at home,” Baker told news.com.au.Just some of these overseas residents have included Australian bikie gangs who moved to Bali after bans on association made it harder for them to keep operating at home, Baker said, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict has seen large numbers of people from both countries escape and set up visible populations in Indonesia. “Bali’s low crime rate is largely attributable to the tight grip that Balinese associations, neighbourhoods and civil guards themselves have on policing, but when it comes to these spectacular fly-in-fly out assassinations, this is where we really see the Bali police come to the fore. Many regard the work the Balinese criminal directorate have done on organised crimes to be quite efficient and skilled,” she said. The data also stands up to scrutiny, as Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya told a pressconference in April that overall cases involving foreigners have actually decreased this year, despite the dramatic headlines.“Cases involving foreigners dropped 23 per cent from January to April of 2026 compared with the same period last year,” he said. “Bali remains safe and we continue to work hard to ensure every tourist feels protected.”Police on the island have also been working hard to beef up security, setting up patrols in key tourist hotspots including Nusa Dua, Ubud, Sanur, Canggu and Seminyak, and launching a special app, Cakra Surveillance for Foreigners, which will help authorities monitor visitors. Adityajaya added that the police have also launched a 24-hour hotline with multilingual services to allow residents and tourists to report nefarious behaviour.“We urge the public, both locals and tourists, to report any suspicious activity. Security in Bali is a shared responsibility,” Adityajaya said. Imam Hidayat, the head of the Indonesian Lawyers’ Association, said he agreed that local residents and domestic and international visitors to Bali needed to work together to uphold the law in Indonesia. He added that when foreign nationals were involved in any crimes, including suspected murder, kidnapping or organised crime, there was nowhere for them to hide, even if they left Indonesia. “Based on the territorial principle, even if both the alleged victim and perpetrator are foreign, they have to face trial in Indonesia because the alleged crime occurred within Indonesian legal territory,” the lawyer said.“Regarding the incidents in Bali, the police’s actions have been excellent and very responsive. In addition to attracting international attention, they also serve as a touchstone for law enforcement throughout Indonesia, through the issuance of Red Notices and extraditing perpetrators.”Murdoch’s Baker said that she agreed that the Indonesian authorities appeared to be taking the situation in Bali very seriously and were becoming increasingly savvy in crime prevention – despite a somewhat chequered reputation in the past.“Clearly criminal investigations have been very proficient in leveraging their international police connections and interpol to get to the bottom of these complex crimes. This police work is so distinct from the police’s usual reputation which is one of brutality, corruption and a disinterest in solving petty crime,” Baker said. “It shows that when there is real pressure from the public spotlight, the Indonesian police can be the kind of professional, efficient and skilled force that Indonesian people have repeatedly called for.”