11 alleged 'axe robbers' shot dead this year<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The police have shot dead since January this
\nyear 11 members of what are widely dubbed "red axe-wielding
\ngangs", bands of robbers who often prey on lone motorists,
\nparticularly females, at traffic lights throughout the city, an
\nofficer said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
"Eight were shot dead at several traffic lights in East
\nJakarta, while the remaining three gang members were shot dead in
\nthe North Jakarta area," City Police spokesman Supt. Muhammad Nur
\nHaji Usman said at his office.<\/p>\n
He said the 11 were members of four separate axe-wielding
\ngroups.<\/p>\n
Nur dismissed the allegations that the police had acted beyond
\nnormal procedures with the shooting.<\/p>\n
"Stiff measures were taken since the gang members often
\nresisted the City Police personnel trying to prevent and arrest
\nthem while they were robbing the victims.<\/p>\n
"Our personnel have acted in line with the police's standard
\noperational procedures," he said.<\/p>\n
But reports of similar terrifying crimes in the capital's
\nstreets have apparently not yet stopped.<\/p>\n
Among the latest was that experienced by a staffer working at
\nthe Gramedia publishing complex in Gelora subdistrict, West
\nJakarta, at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Driving alone in a BMW 320i sedan, the woman -- talking with
\nher friend on her cellular phone -- had just left her office and
\npassed the traffic light near the newly-constructed Permata
\nSenayan apartment complex heading to Slipi when a group of men,
\nas if they were crossing the road, approached her car and ordered
\nher to go to the side of the busy street.<\/p>\n
"I didn't realize what was happening in the beginning even
\nthough I could hear voices repeatedly shouting 'handphone,
\nhandphone' and bangs on my door sides.<\/p>\n
"I just kept driving my car to the roadside as they ordered,"
\nsaid the woman, who refused to be named.<\/p>\n
She knew that she was in a dangerous situation only after she
\nnoticed that she was encircled by six men, two of whom had axes
\nin their hands.<\/p>\n
"There were all in their 20s," she said.<\/p>\n
None of the onlookers and passing motorists, including a group
\nof people packed in a Toyota Kijang van in front of her, were
\nwilling to offer any help, the woman said.<\/p>\n
"After assessing the overall situation and the traffic in
\nfront of me, I stepped on the gas," she said, adding that she
\nreported the case to the police station near the BPK building at
\nSlipi.<\/p>\n
"I lost nothing but it was really scary," she said.<\/p>\n
According to police spokesman Nur, the latest shooting of the
\ngang members occurred on Aug. 12 when a gang member, Rancus
\nSimanjuntak, was shot dead at the busy Jl. Pemuda intersection in
\nEast Jakarta, when he and his two friends tried to rob a taxi
\npassenger.<\/p>\n
Nur conceded that members of the groups still operated in
\nvarious areas in the city, especially near traffic lights.<\/p>\n
"The crime-ridden areas are, among others, Cawang and Jl.
\nPemuda intersection in East Jakarta, Cempaka Putih Flyover in
\nNorth Jakarta and the Grogol and Slipi areas in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"The police are still searching for the whereabouts of other
\ngang members, based on testimonies of other members who have been
\narrested," he said.<\/p>\n
Nur did not disclose the number of gang members already
\narrested.<\/p>\n
The presence of axe-wielding gangs has put fear into
\nmotorists, particularly lone female drivers.<\/p>\n
The gang members often use axes in their operations to
\nthreaten the victims and pressure them into handing over their
\nvaluables, especially handphones. The robberies usually take
\nplace while the vehicle is stopped at a red traffic light.<\/p>\n
The gangs often target people who are riding in cars in dense
\ntraffic, as the queues of cars would prevent the drivers from
\nimmediately escaping the area.<\/p>\n
Nur said the gang members did not hesitate to break the car
\nwindows and hurt the victims in an effort to take their
\nvaluables.<\/p>\n
"Since they are brutal and fearless, people, including the
\npolice, have labeled them the "red axe-wielding gangs"," he said.<\/p>\n
"Their crimes have been put on the police's priority list.<\/p>\n
"Chief of the City Police Insp. Gen. Nurfaizi often touched on
\nthe topic during our weekly evaluations every Wednesday at the
\nheadquarters," he added.<\/p>\n
The spokesman said police personnel who succeeded in arresting
\ngang members would be given rewards.<\/p>\n
To deal with the problem, the police have frequently deployed
\npersonnel, including plainclothes detectives, mainly in the
\ncrime-ridden areas, he said.<\/p>\n
"However, since our personnel are limited, the gang members
\ncontinue with their actions while our personnel are not present
\nin the areas," he said.<\/p>\n
He, however, conceded that there are personnel who skip their
\nduties and do not patrol the areas.<\/p>\n
"Perhaps they are poor. They might skip their orders to
\nsafeguard the areas and look for additional revenue from other
\nplaces," he said. (asa\/bsr)<\/p>",
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