Grizzly crimes continue unabated in Jakarta<\/p>\n
Emmy Fitri and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta has turned into a lawless jungle where crooks prey on
\nthe innocent and the police are left to clean up the mess.<\/p>\n
There is no set figures to describe how bad it is on Jakarta's
\nstreets as many choose not to report their ordeals to the police.
\nMany are haunted with dread each time they go out because crime
\ncan happen anytime to anybody.<\/p>\n
In early January on busy Jl. Sudirman, South Jakarta, in broad
\ndaylight two youths approached a car, so calm and collected that
\nthe car driver had no inkling of what was to come. When they
\nremoved the side mirrors -- right and left -- from his car, there
\nwas nothing he could do. A few minutes later they left the scene
\njust as calmly as they had arrived.<\/p>\n
In Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, top lawyer Hotman Paris
\nHutapea witnessed youths, armed with red axes, surround a car and
\ndemand valuables from its defenseless passengers. The group,
\ncalled the Kapak Merah (Red Axe) gang, got away with jewelry,
\ncellular phones and money.<\/p>\n
Easy to spot and recognize with their axes, some of the gang
\nmembers have been gunned down by the police, but nonetheless it
\nis likely that more people have joined the gang over the past
\nyear due to the scarcity of job opportunities and life's ever-
\nincreasing daily demands. It appears that the number of Red Axe
\ngang members has not decreased and the intensity of their
\nactivities remains high.<\/p>\n
One can reduce the risk of falling victim to street crime by
\nrarely leaving home, but even inside one's house, it is still
\nunsafe -- whether you are wealthy or poor.<\/p>\n
The bottom line is that Jakarta remains unfriendly to its
\nresidents as the denser the population, the more problems there
\nare to be dealt with. Among the major problems is the high number
\nof offenses, not to mention the latest method of combining
\npolitical motives and acts of terror, such as using explosives to
\nharm and intimidate others.<\/p>\n
Police data paints a grim picture, revealing that crime
\nabounds in the capital.<\/p>\n
As the end of 2001 nears, police data shows that on average,
\n21 armed robberies have taken place every week throughout the
\nyear, some of them injuring the victims. Some 12 cars and
\nmotorcycles have been stolen weekly and two dead bodies with stab
\nwounds have been found every week.<\/p>\n
Most crimes happened in public places, like on the street,
\npublic buses, at bus terminals, intersections and also shopping
\nmalls.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police deputy spokesman Comr. Alex Mandalika
\nacknowledges that it is likely the number of offenses is even
\nhigher due to the number of unreported instances.<\/p>\n
"There are many people who prefer not to report incidents to
\nthe police," he said.<\/p>\n
Why do people prefer not to report crimes against them? The
\nmost probable answer is that they do not trust the police to
\nsolve the crime.<\/p>\n
In many cases, the police seem to be too slow, not to say
\npowerless, to prevent crime.<\/p>\n
For instance, the case of armed robberies targeting bank
\ncustomers rose significantly in October, to 11 cases from an
\naverage of three cases in previous months, according to police
\ndata.<\/p>\n
In one case, robbers immobilized their victims by shooting
\nthem and fled with Rp 1.7 billion and US$16,500.<\/p>\n
Dedi Kurniawan, 30, Yuliana, 30, Amar, 45, Untung Rumino, 52,
\nDaud Budiarto, 59, Nurdin, 30, Buyung Suhendri, 47 Tina Setiani,
\n16, Maya Devayanti, 36, Ashit Metha, 32, and Vinot Patel, 43, are
\namong those who were shot -- mostly in the leg -- between August
\nand October after being followed leaving banks.<\/p>\n
The shooting death of Chief Brig. Slamet Riyanto, a police
\nofficer who was safeguarding Bank Central Asia's branch in
\nBungur, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, in October, became a wake-up
\ncall for the police.<\/p>\n
Former Jakarta Police chief Comr. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb once
\nprepared special units to increase the number of police personnel
\ndeployed at banks to help security guards.<\/p>\n
Just one month after the Bungur incident, police detectives
\nmanaged to arrest Agung Widodo, 29, in Bantul, Yogyakarta, on
\nsuspicion of masterminding a string of robberies in Jakarta. Was
\nthis a success story or an act of vengeance (toward the culprits
\nwho have killed their colleague)?<\/p>\n
One opinion can be formed from this example: if the police are
\nreally serious about cracking down on crime, more cases would be
\nsolved.<\/p>\n
However, classical excuses, such as the limited number of
\npersonnel and resources and the disproportionate ratio of police
\nofficers to the people they have to serve, are still used by the
\npolice to counter allegations that they are too slow in cracking
\ndown on crime.<\/p>\n
Other big question is: how long will the public continue to
\naccept such excuses?<\/p>",
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