Security system by, for the people<\/p>\n
By K. Basrie<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It's midnight of May 31 at a two by two meter
\nstructure. That night three residents were assigned by the head
\nof the neighborhood to guard their \"zone\" where around 80
\nfamilies live.<\/p>\n
The neighborhood, called RT IV area, is part of the Bumi
\nKelapa Dua housing complex in Curug, Tangerang, less than five
\nkilometers from the Lippo Karawaci mega project.<\/p>\n
Each armed with a knife, iron bar and wooden stick, the three
\ncitizens on patrol, locally known as Siskamling personnel,
\nstarted to carry out their social obligation. Normally, hot
\ncoffee and snacks is taken with them on their rounds to help keep
\nthem awake.<\/p>\n
The security shack, built with funds donated by members of the
\nneighborhood, is located at a point which enables the on-duty
\ncivilians to easily monitor any strangers approaching their zone.<\/p>\n
Each take turns to patrol the neighborhood and hit lampposts
\nwith the small iron stick they carry every hour to announce to
\nresidents that all is well.<\/p>\n
This particular night, the on-duty civilians each came from
\ndifferent professions: a physician, a worker of a private firm
\nand a reporter (The Jakarta Post). We were all next door
\nneighbors.<\/p>\n
At 3:00 a.m., the physician began to fall asleep and took a
\nbrief nap on the small hut's cement floor which he covered with
\npapers. An hour later, I did my last turn patrolling the
\nneighborhood before lying down at the front door of the security
\nshack.<\/p>\n
Hoping to starve off heavy drowsiness, the other partner
\nstarted conversing with me before we returned to our houses
\nprecisely at 4 a.m., after five hours of night patrols.<\/p>\n
The head of each family in the neighborhood is required to go
\non security duty three times a month.<\/p>\n
The RT IV neighborhood in Tangerang is a typical example of
\nlocal residents, irrespective of social status, being asked to
\njointly see to the security of their own area.<\/p>\n
Methods might be different in other neighborhoods in Greater
\nJakarta, depending on many reasons, such as the average social
\nposition of the residents and the location of the area.<\/p>\n
Unlike many neighborhoods on the city's outskirts, a wide
\nnumber of areas in Jakarta have hired two or three people to
\nreplace the family head's turn to secure their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
Police, who held a nationwide parade of heads of Siskamling
\nyesterday, revealed that the neighborhood security system carried
\nout by local residents is important in helping to maintain the
\ncountry's strong national stability.<\/p>\n
\"They are very important for us to keep the city secure,\" City
\nPolice Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo told reporters after leading
\nthe Siskamling parade in North Jakarta yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"Whether hiring other people or using local residents, it
\ndoesn't make any difference as long as all of the neighbors
\nagree,\" City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Harmoko said.<\/p>\n
Moreover, he said, Jakarta is a metropolitan city where many
\nof its residents spend much of their time working. Problems
\nusually occur when people of mixed social standing and
\neducational backgrounds reside in one neighborhood.<\/p>\n
\"It's nonsense if a businessman or an officer, for instance,
\nhas to go on night patrols when they have to go to work early the
\nnext morning,\" said the head of a neighborhood in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
City police spokesman Bambang added: \"It would be more logical
\nif we could hire people to safeguard our village rather than to
\nforce residents who have more important things to do.\"<\/p>\n
But all residents have to have a sense of belonging and
\nresponsibility in their area. \"So, hiring watchmen doesn't mean
\nthat we have nothing more to do with our area,\" said the
\nspokesman after the parade.<\/p>\n
Similar Siskamling parades were also held in all parts of
\nGreater Jakarta as well as all cities throughout the country.<\/p>\n
In his written speech, National Police Chief Gen. Banurusman
\nAstrosemitro hailed the positive role of the Siskamling
\npersonnel.<\/p>\n
Banurusman, however, also spoke about the negative side of
\nglobalization which might lead to a significant increase in the
\nnumber and sophistication of crimes.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/security-system-by-for-the-people-1447893297",
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