More people use services of 'satpam'<\/p>\n
A high crime rate and robust economic growth have led many
\nwealthy people to hiring security guards to protect their lives,
\nfamilies and properties. The Jakarta Post reporters Gedsiri
\nSuhartono, K. Basrie and Prapti Widinugraheni have prepared the
\nfollowing article, as well as other related stories on Page 2 and
\n9 about security guards.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In the early 1970s, the issue of neighborhood
\nand personal security was nothing big. Although the crime rate
\nmay have been about the same as that of today, the quality of
\nviolence involved may have been far less.<\/p>\n
Take, for instance, burglars. During those times, if a burglar
\nbroke into a house and the house owner happened to cough --
\nindicating that somebody was awake in the house -- the burglar
\nwould most likely have run away.<\/p>\n
But now, thieves don't stop at stripping a house of its
\nbelongings. In many recent cases, they have gone as far as
\nmurdering and raping the people in the house, who don't
\nnecessarily have to be the owners.<\/p>\n
It is no wonder, therefore, that people feel the need for some
\nsort of protection.<\/p>\n
But when did it all begin? Crime usually starts when there are
\ngroups of haves and have-nots.<\/p>\n
The 1970s saw the beginning of Indonesia's rapid development:
\noil exports were booming, foreign aid poured in and people saw
\noffice buildings sprout in major cities, especially Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Then, people became wealthier, consumption increased and
\ndevelopment became an obsession of the government.<\/p>\n
But at the same time, some groups of people were becoming
\nisolated in the process; they were unable to survive the
\ncompetition, they didn't have the \"right connections\" and,
\nperhaps, they just didn't have the luck.<\/p>\n
This situation, which became more complicated with the
\nemanating of occasional political issues, easily led to
\ndiscontent and often took the form of crime.<\/p>\n
In the 1980s, the police decided it was time the public helped
\nthe police in safeguarding the community. Civilians, including
\nwomen, were recruited and given basic training to become members
\nof Satuan Pengamanan (security guard units), better known by its
\nacronym Satpam.<\/p>\n
Retired policemen and servicemen are commonly recruited as
\nSatpam in many cities nationwide. In some cases, active members
\nof the Armed Forces are also hired as guards for prominent
\nindividuals and offices.<\/p>\n
Col. Wenny Setiawan, the head of the Jakarta City Police's
\nCommunity Supervision Directorate, said the move was initiated by
\nthe then-chief of the National Police, Gen. Awaluddin Djamin.<\/p>\n
\"Satpam are responsible for protecting the places where they
\nare employed,\" Wenny said.<\/p>\n
Since 1991, the national crime rate has continued to decline.
\nFrom 204,446 cases in 1991, it dropped to 175,364 in 1992,
\n164,553 in 1993, 164,119 in 1994 and 163,197 in 1995.<\/p>\n
However, the drop in the crime rate is not necessarily
\ncomforting news.<\/p>\n
Last year, the then-national police chief Gen. Banurusman
\nAstrosemitro, acknowledged that although reported crimes
\ndecreased, the number of solved cases remain at 50 percent to 60
\npercent -- as it has been for the past several years.<\/p>\n
Apart from that, criminals are using violence more often.<\/p>\n
Media reports last month, for instance, carried stories about
\na satpam who was attacked and wounded by burglars in his
\nneighborhood in Jakarta. Earlier, there were stories about
\npolicemen being attacked and killed by thugs.<\/p>\n
Is the place becoming unsafe even for satpam and policemen?
\nAre Jakartans ready to embark on a new era that will see many of
\nthem employ the services of bodyguards?<\/p>\n
Senior criminologist Mulyana W. Kusumah, from University of
\nIndonesia, has learned that the variety of crimes has induced
\nmore wealthy people, in particular those who feel they are at
\ngreat risk of being violated, to hire Satpam and personal guards
\nto protect their lives and property.<\/p>\n
\"I strongly believe that the growing number of people hiring
\nSatpam or bodyguards in this country is due to the growing
\nfeeling of urban insecurity,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The need for a personal bodyguard, which is still something
\nnew here, could no longer be avoided by them, especially
\nbusinesspeople and politicians, who have a greater risk of
\nbecoming crime victims.<\/p>\n
\"Prevention is better than cure,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Adrianus Meliala, also a criminologist from University of
\nIndonesia, said that compared to the city's area and population,
\nJakarta's crime rate cannot be considered worrying yet.<\/p>\n
\"The city's notorious crimes, to many, may have emerged
\nbecause of the way the mass media portray crime,\" said Adrianus.<\/p>\n
Relatively wealthier city residents who opt for extra
\nprecaution, he said, create their own needs in ways that they
\nthink will safeguard them from the vulnerability of being
\ncriminally victimized.<\/p>\n
\"Some have created the need for extra safety protection to be
\na part of their lifestyles,\" Adrianus said.<\/p>\n
Seconding Adrianus' opinion is Enoh Markum, a social lecturer
\nof psychology at University of Indonesia, who said that Jakarta
\nrates average in terms of crimes.<\/p>\n
\"Perception of the city's safety depends on how individuals
\nchoose to interpret various information they receive,\" Enoh said.<\/p>\n
\"People who read Pos Kota daily would certainly have a
\ndifferent perception about Jakarta compared to Kompas daily
\nreaders,\" he said. Pos Kota \"specializes\" in city crime reporting
\nand is the largest daily newspaper in circulation in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Col. Paimin Abuamr, head of the Jakarta Police Criminal
\nInvestigation Department said that the increasing number of
\npeople hiring bodyguards and Satpam in a big city like Jakarta is
\nmainly due to two reasons.<\/p>\n
\"Fear of crime and their raising incomes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Although the Jakarta crime rate is not as high as many
\nmetropolises in other parts of the world, many wealthy people
\nlike to hire strong-looking men to safeguard their lives,
\nfamilies, business and properties, said the number-one police
\ndetective in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"And it is their right because it is their own money being
\nused to pay the bodyguards and Satpam,\" he said. \"For us, the
\npolice force, we hope that more and more people do their best to
\nprevent themselves from becoming crime victims.\"<\/p>\n
Paimin said that even though the Jakarta police have been
\nassigned to protect and serve the people, it would be helpful if
\nthe citizens could do something to protect themselves.<\/p>\n
\"Just imagine, we only have about 16,000 police officers to
\nprotect approximately 10 million Jakartans as well as a large
\nnumber of buildings and properties,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Paimin said people who feel the need to hire bodyguards and
\nSatpam should take care in making their selections.<\/p>\n
A number of Satpam have been reportedly misusing their
\nprivileges and becoming the culprits themselves.<\/p>\n
The recent murders of a man at the Ancol dreamland complex in
\nNorth Jakarta and of a foreigner at the Menteng Hotel in Central
\nJakarta were committed by Satpam.<\/p>\n
In June 1990, a Satpam of Ramayana department store at Pasar
\nMinggu, South Jakarta, was charged with having tortured four
\ndisabled schoolboys, who were accused for having stolen Rp 400
\nfrom a game machine.<\/p>\n
In June 1992, three Satpam of the Cahaya department store at
\nthe Slipi Jaya shopping plaza were arrested after allegedly
\ntorturing to death a 20-year-old man, suspected to have stolen a
\npair of shoes.<\/p>\n
In February 1995, two Satpam of the Sahid Palace Executive
\nApartments in Jakarta were arrested by the police for their
\nalleged roles in kidnapping a suspected thief which led to the
\nlatter's death at the building site.<\/p>",
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