100 women hired for street patrol

100 women hired for street patrol

JAKARTA (JP): The city's peace and order office (Kamtib DKI)
plans to add a woman's touch in its future operations against
prostitutes and vagrants -- by recruiting women.

"I feel it is inappropriate that such an operation is
conducted by an all male force, especially when we're dealing with
women, and often children," Kusaeni, who heads the office, said.

"In the future, we will be including women officers into the
force," Kusaeni told the Antara news agency.

His office has already recruited about 100 women for the
municipal policing group, Polisi Pamongpradja. The women and 600
male recruits recently completed their education and training in
Cibubur, East Jakarta.

Besides being deployed for street operations, the female
officers will also be employed to publicize and popularize various
city ordinances, such as those on pedestrian crossings and street
vendors, Kusaeni said. "They will be patrolling the city, giving
out information and also taking the necessary actions, within their
powers, if they see violations."

The municipal administration is cooperating with the Jakarta
Police Force to step up the campaign against prostitution in the
past month. The hundreds of prostitutes rounded up in the raids
have been sent to a special rehabilitation center.

Kusaeni said his office also plans to open a 24-hour hot line
which will be open to anyone wishing to complain about disturbance
of the peace or any disruption in public order. He said he hopes
the hot line will encourage the public to participate in the
maintenance of peace and order.

These moves are being made to rectify the current image that
the municipal police force is simply there to serve the interests
of the administration. "The force is there to serve the public," he
said. (emb)