Is Jakarta safe?<\/p>\n
Armed robbery is becoming an increasingly serious problem in
\nGreater Jakarta. Many of the victims are bank customers forced to
\nhand over their savings for fear of being shot.<\/p>\n
It would be interesting to know the kinds of guns used by the
\ncriminals and how and where these guns were obtained.<\/p>\n
The police, unable to get to bottom of these crimes, simply
\nstate that the criminals must have used \"illegal guns\".<\/p>\n
According to the police, only 1,813 citizens in the country
\nare legally licensed to own firearms.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo said those people
\nwith permits to own firearms were known to the police, and the
\narmed robberies must have been committed by criminals in the
\npossession of non-licensed guns.<\/p>\n
The point is that many criminals use guns in the course of
\ntheir crimes and ordinary citizens, especially bank clients, no
\nlonger feel safe when out on the streets.<\/p>\n
Now is not the time to argue about whether the guns used by
\ncriminals are licensed or not; now is the time to put away the
\ncriminals and restore the public's trust in their personal
\nsafety.<\/p>\n
People know that guns can be bought at markets, but only those
\nwho have the money can afford to purchase a gun to protect
\nthemselves from criminals.<\/p>\n
However, the recent killing of PT Asaba president director
\nBudy Harto Angsono and his bodyguard, a member of the Army's
\nSpecial Forces (Kopassus), proved that possessing a gun is no
\nguarantee that you will be safe from danger.<\/p>\n
Despite the possibility that the fatal shooting of Budy and
\nhis bodyguard was the result of a personal dispute, people
\nhearing about the crime take it as further proof that nobody is
\nsafe.<\/p>\n
The fatal shooting of Budy took place less than two months
\nafter PT Asaba's finance director was shot by unidentified
\nassailants in Central Jakarta. Paulus Gunawan is still
\nhospitalized and the police seem to have no leads in either of
\nthe shootings.<\/p>\n
There is speculation Paulus' shooting is linked to the killing
\nof Budy. What is clear is that both of the shootings were carried
\nout by professional killers hired to commit murder.<\/p>\n
One man involved in the personal protection business once told
\na local paper that to kill a person cost between Rp 20 million
\nand Rp 25 million, while injuring someone cost between Rp 500,000
\nand Rp 5 million.<\/p>\n
Police continue to deny that there are professional killers
\nfor hire in the country, despite the evidence to the contrary.<\/p>\n
We believe that there are people who can be hired to kill. The
\npolice should stop denying the existence of killers for hire and
\nstart investigating where criminals are getting their guns
\nfrom.<\/p>\n
There are interesting points to be noted in the fatal shooting
\nof Budy. First, his bodyguard was a member of Kopassus, clearly
\nindicating that the bodyguard business not only exists, but also
\ninvolves soldiers or police officers, a fact denied by military
\nleaders.<\/p>\n
There also are indications that the shooter was well-trained,
\nraising questions about where he received this training.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses said that they did not hear any shots, meaning
\nthe gun used by the killer was fitted with a silencer, which are
\nmeant only to be used by the military. This has been confirmed by
\nthe police.<\/p>\n
Without pointing fingers at any group, we can only hope that
\nthe police will work harder to overcome the challenges in front
\nof us.<\/p>\n
Nonsense statements and denials are of no use. People do not
\ncare if the criminals use licensed or non-licensed guns. The
\nsituation is clear: armed robberies are becoming commonplace and
\ntwo people were just shot dead in a public place in broad
\ndaylight.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/is-jakarta-safe-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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