Jakarta's security situation dramatically worsening<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta has seen its security situation worsen considerably
\nrecently as indicated by the increase in street crime over the
\nlast three years, and many people are now afraid of utilizing
\npublic facilities, a seminar concluded here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Street crimes include car thefts, burglaries, robberies,
\nmurders, extortion and other crimes that are committed on the
\nstreets, it was stated.<\/p>\n
Due to the worsening security situation, people are afraid of
\nusing public facilities -- such as public phones, ATMs,
\nrestrooms, and pedestrian overpasses -- which are installed on or
\nnear streets. People are now also even afraid of using public
\ntransportation.<\/p>\n
\"Such feelings are forged through bad personal experiences and
\nother people's bad experiences,\" said Rony Samtana, who was a
\nspeaker at the one-day seminar titled \"How more frightening
\nJakarta is today\", which was held on Wednesday at the Police
\nCollege.<\/p>\n
The seminar was the first seminar in the Police College's
\nhistory to be held in the English language, and featured, among
\nother speakers, Steven Hargrove, a police consultant from the
\nUnited States Embassy who is assigned to liaise with the National
\nPolice, and two other speakers, both of whom are students of the
\nPolice College.<\/p>\n
Rony said the rising number of offenses being solved by the
\npolice had failed to remove public feelings of insecurity due to
\nthe massive number of unreported crimes.<\/p>\n
Rony remarked that many people still felt threatened by crime
\ngiven that the reported cases were only the visible tip of a
\nmassive iceberg.<\/p>\n
Another speaker, Dedi Kusuma Bhakti, attributed lingering
\nfeelings of insecurity in society to rampant street crime.<\/p>\n
\"Most of the crimes have occurred on the streets. It's no
\nwonder given that Jakarta residents spend a lot of their time on
\nthe streets as they go to their workplaces and return home,\" Dedi
\ntold the seminar.<\/p>\n
One of the police speakers shared his experiences of the Blok
\nM bus terminal in South Jakarta, where he managed to arrest nine
\npickpockets out of only 11 passengers on a public bus.<\/p>\n
According to police data, the number of cars stolen last year
\njumped to 6,466 from only 2,593 and 3,384 respectively in 2000
\nand 1999. For the first seven months of this year, the figure was
\nstill hovering at 3,525. This means that more than 16 cars are
\nstolen every day.<\/p>\n
The number of extortion cases rose to 524 last year as
\ncompared to 276 and 246 in 2000 and 1999. As of July this year,
\n270 extortion cases had been reported.<\/p>\n
Last year, the number of burglary cases doubled to 5,093 from
\n2,853 and 3,194 respectively in 2000 and 1999, while in the
\ncourse of the first seven months of this year, the figure stood
\nat 2,858 cases.<\/p>\n
Robberies also jumped to 2,047 last year as compared to 1,467
\nin 2000 and 1,616 in 1999, while the figure so far this year
\nstands at 1,402 cases.<\/p>\n
In addition to increasing crime, the police's poor performance
\nis also widely believed to have contributed to the feeling of
\ninsecurity among Jakarta residents.<\/p>\n
The police are often criticized for being late to arrive at
\ncrime scenes and for the lack of police patrols in areas prone to
\ncrime.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Steven Hargrove said the police must cooperate with
\nall elements in society to crack down on rising crime in the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
\"The police must bring in all the people in the community,
\nincluding businesspeople, non-governmental organizations,
\ngovernmental institutions, as partners to promote security in the
\ncity,\" Hargrove said.<\/p>\n
Partnership with all parties in society, Hargrove said, would
\nalso in turn help improve public appreciation for a police
\nofficer's dangerous and difficult jobs.<\/p>\n
\"The salary that you get today doesn't tell that (about the
\ndangers involved in police work),\" Hargrove said, adding that a
\nsalary hike might also provide the impetus for police officers to
\nimprove their professionalism and performance.<\/p>\n
Tips for avoiding crime:<\/p>\n
1. Don't be stupid by going to the wrong place at the wrong time,
\nlike going to quiet places at night alone.<\/p>\n
2. Be on the alert and watchful when passing through unfamiliar
\nplaces.<\/p>\n
3. Instead of carrying a bag on your back, move it onto your
\nchest.<\/p>\n
4. If you happen to come face to face with criminals, pretend
\nthat you are not an easy target for them, for instance by yelling
\naggressively in the Indonesian language Mau apa kamu (What do you
\nwant?).<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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