55,999 bottles of alcoholic drinks crushed

JAKARTA (JP): The East Jakarta authorities crushed the 55,999 bottles of high-grade alcoholic drinks seized during the ongoing Operation Cleansing anti-crime drive in the mayoralty with a steamroller late last week.

The steamrolling of the liquor was done at the defunct Cililitan bus station on Friday in the presence of the mayoralty's top officials, including the East Jakarta Police Precinct Chief, Lt. Col. Susmono Soesilo, and the Head of the District Military Garrison Lt. Col. Koesnadi.

The bottles of liquor, under 17 different brand names, were confiscated by an integrated military-police team. The anti-crime drive started on April 11. It involves the confiscation of contraband alcoholic beverages from medium and small-scale shops and drinking stalls.

The East Jakarta police have also questioned at least 68 drunkards captured during the operation.

The information office of the Jakarta Military Command, which is sponsoring the anti-crime campaign, said that, as of early last week, around 1,400 people had been arrested in connection with Operation Cleansing. They include criminals and drunkards.

The office also reported that the team has seized 11 firearms, almost four million dangerous pills, more than half a million bottles of liquors and around 500 sharp weapons.

Of the 1,400 people, 11 were arrested for illegal possession of firearms, 301 for carrying sharp weapons, four for making threats, 14 for robbery, 45 for extortion, 11 for mugging, 58 for theft, 23 for pickpocketing, seven for vandalism, 16 for brawling, 401 for intoxication, 449 for selling liquor without a license and 61 for selling dangerous drugs.

Five of the suspects were still being questioned at the military police headquarters, the rest had already been sent to the police for further legal processing, the office said on Friday.

The police and the military have attributed the drop to an all time low in the crime record in April to the army-sponsored Operation Cleansing, which involves 48,000 soldiers, police officers and security officials.

City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Moch. Hindarto said early last week that the incidences of 70 kinds crimes fell by 13.8 percent to 2,110 cases in April from 2,448 cases in March.

The "four main crimes", a police term for auto theft, muggings, break-ins and physical assault, recorded a 24.9 percent drop.

In April, the police recorded only 944 reported crimes in the four main categories in the greater Jakarta area, compared to 1,257 cases in March. (bsr/jsk)