Beware of organized crime embryos: Hindarto
Beware of organized crime embryos: Hindarto
JAKARTA (JP): Organized crime syndicates have begun to develop in the city through small groups of gamblers, extorters and pimps, warns a senior police officer.
"These small units could grow stronger and become an untouchable organized crime chain if adequate measures are not taken to get rid of them now," Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto said recently.
The former Jakarta Police chief strongly urged all members of the community to unite to fight against these criminal groups as soon as possible.
"If we don't, we'll face difficulties later. These problems can be found in countries like Italy, the United States, Japan and Hong Kong, where gangs are strong and well organized," reminded Hindarto, who is now a senior officer at the National Police Headquarters.
According to the two-star general, among the small but visible organized crime embryos operating in Jakarta here are pimps and brothel owners, stolen vehicle syndicates, drug rings and gangs of debt collectors and thugs.
Pimps and the heads of syndicates that steal cars, for instance, follow the organization that professional crime syndicates use, Hindarto said.
Each group has divisions with specific responsibilities and tasks, such as to find, treat and sell the prostitutes or products. Other divisions will build-up contacts with high- ranking and promising officers to back the syndicate's operations, he said.
Therefore, many illegal activities are not reported to the police because they have been blocked by high-ranking backers, he said.
Members of each divisions are managed in such a way that they don't know the other personnel. This makes it hard for police detectives to gather material evidence and arrest members or the godfather, explained Hindarto, who spent years as a police detective.
"All these small-scale criminal groups are potential eggs for the birth of a powerful organized crime syndicate in the future," he added.
"I really wonder when some people say that organized crime has not entered the city."
Hindarto refused to elaborate further or name a group that has set up in the city.
When asked about his view of the powerful Pemuda Pancasila youth organization, Hindarto replied that the bad image of the organization was caused by a handful of its members, who committed crimes their own interests.
He gave no further explanation.
Many organized crime syndicates run gambling, prostitution, extortion and drug dealing business behind the cover of legitimate businesses and use various types of scare tactics, including kidnapping, Hindarto said.
These syndicates will expand into a country after members of the group have developed strong community and business ties, he said.
"The Mafia, for example, can't set up here because of the limited number of Italians in Jakarta," he said. "Same with other syndicates like Yakuza from Japan."
Indonesia, however, must be on guard against the arrival of the Triad, a Hong Kong based crime syndicate, because there is strong indications that the group is planning to set up shop in many Asian countries, Hindarto warned.
He said the recent murder of a gambling operator who -- according to police investigators -- had links with the Triad, was a warning.
He explained that all Jakartans must take immediate action to stop small-scale crime groups and the growing number of gangsters and racketeers from growing bigger. (bsr)