Crime in 2000 well-organized, ruthless: Mulyono

JAKARTA (JP): The capital registered a 12.25 percent decrease in crime in 2000 compared to the previous year, but the nature of crimes were more organized, ruthless, as well as being difficult to both solve and take to court, Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaiman said.

Briefing the media about Jakarta Police's performance during 2000, the police chief said on Sunday that 16,346 criminal cases were recorded during the year, slightly lower than 1999's 18,603.

"The crime in year 2000 was about deadly organized bombings which occurred back to back, high-profile corruption and drug cases, and a sharp rise in drug smuggling and possession," the two-star general said.

Mulyono said that the understaffed city police force had worked round the clock on politically-charged criminal cases, like the attack on National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairman Matori Abdul Djalil in March, and the Rp 35 billion (US$3.6 million) State Logistics Agency (Bulog) scandal, however their principal activity all year long involved responding to bomb attacks.

"It's impossible for city police not to associate the year 2000 with bombs ... scores died as a result. The blasts were organized, deadly, were large-scale, they occurred every other month, and had unusual timing. They kept the police working all year long," Mulyono told reporters after the media conference.

"It becomes harder to prevent such blasts due to their frequency, the fact that they are very well organized, and that only the bomb carriers are traceable, not the mastermind."

At least 16 people died in bomb blasts in Jakarta last year. Aside from the notorious Christmas Eve bombings, bomb blast incidents in 2000 occurred once in February, March and April each, thrice in August and thrice in September.

The year 2000 ended with one of the most tragic incidents in Indonesian history, as bombs exploded at churches nationwide on Christmas Eve, killing at least 17 people, including three in Jakarta.

Even though, as Mulyono confirmed, city police intelligence did receive information beforehand regarding possible bomb blasts on Christmas Eve, some 15,000 police officers deployed across Greater Jakarta were unable to prevent the explosions.

Going by the death toll, however, the worst incident was the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) blast on Sept. 13, which claimed at least 11 lives.

Mulyono added that drug offenses and rapes also increased in 2000.

"Drug-related cases rose to 1,528 in 2000 from 881 in the previous year. Rapes increased to 85 from 65 in 1999," Mulyono said.

Drug cases became particularly interesting with several well- known personalities and many foreigners being arrested in drug related crimes, with shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), marijuana and heroin, continuing to be the most popular drugs.

Ten African men were shot dead by police during separate drug raids in January, one at a rented house in South Jakarta and another at a dilapidated building in Central Jakarta.

In both cases, the African suspects were either international cocaine or heroin smugglers.

In June, the wife of a grandson of former president Soeharto, Gusti Maya Firandi Noor, was arrested for possessing shabu-shabu.

Contraband confiscated last year included 4.44 tons of marijuana, 54,200 grams of shabu-shabu, 21,000 grams of heroin, 16,000 grams of cocaine and 35,100 ecstasy pills.

Other criminal cases which showed an increase in 2000 included homicide, juvenile delinquency, torture and arson.

A total of 26 people died in student brawls last year, while 96 others died in street justice acts of extreme violence, normally dubbed vigilante attacks.

Mulyono said that 857 accidents were recorded on Jakarta's roads last year, slightly lower than the 1999 figure of 933.

A total of 352 people died in incidents reported to police during 2000, slightly higher than the 315 deaths recorded in 1999. (ylt)