Authorities promise safe trip home
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The annual exodus during Idul Fitri is an opportunity for Jakartans to visit their relatives out of town but it also presents them with a problem: not only how to get a train or bus ticket, but also how to keep themselves safe from criminals.
It has long been the case that many passengers are fleeced by ticket scalpers who charge outrageous prices. There are also pickpockets, who operate in crowded bus terminals and train stations.
State train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has increased security in its Jakarta division train stations.
"We have prepared our security personnel to safeguard all train stations in the Jakarta area, especially from ticket scalpers and hoodlums," head of security at the Jakarta division, Djinandir, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
"The personnel are from PT KAI's security guard and train police units, local police officers and military officers from the city military garrison."
Djinandir said Gambir station in Central Jakarta, for example, had a total of 103 security officers while at Pasar Senen station, also in Central Jakarta, some 50 security personnel would be deployed.
The Jakarta division is also preparing a team of 16 personnel, dubbed the flying squad, ready to be dispatched at any time to assist at a station.
"The team is always on standby and I can deploy its members when a station needs additional security officers," said Djinandir.
Meanwhile, passengers have started to crowd train stations as expected. PT KAI expects that the peak would occur on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4.
Last year, a total 846,791 train passengers traveled at Idul Fitri, while PT KAI expects an increase of some three percent on that figure this year.
Jakartans are also expected to take another popular mode of transportation, buses.
The city transportation agency expects that the peak in bus trips will occur from one week to one day before Idul Fitri, which falls on Dec. 6 and Dec. 7.
The agency expects that more than 895,000 passengers will be carried on 6,373 buses. This will exceed last year's figures of some 852,000 residents traveling on 6,066 buses.
In order to provide secure terminals, the city police carried out a raid on Tuesday at Kampung Rambutan bus terminal, East Jakarta, and Kalideres bus terminal, West Jakarta, to get rid of ticket scalpers and hoodlums.
"We deployed a company of police officers at each bus terminal in the four-hour raid," secretary of the Sabhara police patrol unit, Adj. Sr. Comr. IK Untung Yoga was quoted as saying by www.detik.com on-line news website.
The police officers were unable to apprehend any ticket scalpers or hoodlums at Kalideres bus terminal, but 25 were arrested in Kampung Rambutan.
Yoga said three were criminals armed with weapons, eight were caught red-handed gambling with others and another two possessed counterfeit money.
"We released 12 of the people while the 11 hoodlums were taken into custody at the Ciracas police station for questioning," said Yoga.
"We also released the two people with counterfeit money after questioning them."
Head of Kampung Rambutan bus terminal Endi Lastion said so far no ticket scalpers were operating in the terminal.
"We have prepared everything for passenger convenience, from security personnel to first-aid shelters," he said.