Blok M security to be improved, police say<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta police have pledged to make the
\nBlok M shopping area more secure this year.<\/p>\n
South Jakarta Police Precinct Chief Lt. Col. SY Wenas said
\nrecently that police have guaranteed that the number of crimes in
\nthe area will be progressively reduced this year.<\/p>\n
"We have analyzed and prepared everything that could help us
\nparalyze the operations of several groups of hoodlums, who occupy
\ncertain areas of the business district," Wenas told The Jakarta
\nPost recently.<\/p>\n
Several places around the Blok M shopping area, one of the
\nmost famous shopping centers in the city built in the 1960s, has
\nbeen widely known for years as a center for a number of hoodlum
\ngangs from different ethnic groups.<\/p>\n
The location has become notorious for criminal acts and inter-
\ngang clashes.<\/p>\n
"With the support of officials from related institutions, we
\nhope that the number of crimes such as picking pockets, extortion
\nand fighting can be reduced even further," Wenas said.<\/p>\n
His statements were based on the fact that no single gang can
\nnow be found in the area, thanks to an intensive operation
\nconducted by the local police.<\/p>\n
"Now we receive two or three cases per week," he said, while
\nin previous years police handled dozens of cases per day.<\/p>\n
But he warned that the number of street crimes could increase
\nagain if illegal street vendors continue to mushroom around the
\nshopping area and the bus terminal.<\/p>\n
"Controlling crime is not only the police department's task,"
\nhe said. "Public cooperation and understanding and proper law
\nenforcement by all government offices concerned are also
\nrequired."<\/p>\n
Thousands of traders, mostly without permits, have blocked the
\nroads causing difficulties for vehicles and passersby. This
\ncondition encourages criminal activity.<\/p>\n
"The history of Blok M reveals that the birth of hoodlum gangs
\nthere was a direct result of the steady growth of illegal street
\nvendors," said Wenas.<\/p>\n
The traders were removed by the local authorities only when
\nhigh-ranking officials and important state visitors visited the
\nshopping area.<\/p>\n
Wenas also urged the authorities to help remove the increasing
\nnumber of unauthorized parking attendants in the area.<\/p>\n
"By clearing out the illegal street traders and parking men, I
\nbelieve that crime in the Blok M area will drop remarkably," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to the latest records the entry and exit gates of
\nthe bus terminal and Aldiron Plaza are still prone to crime,
\nparticularly extortion.<\/p>\n
The recent anti-crime operations have lowered the figures of
\nthe number of crime in the area.<\/p>\n
"I am confident the number of crimes will be reduced
\nsignificantly in the following years," he said. (bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/blok-m-security-to-be-improved-police-say-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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