Crime rate jumps during MPR
Crime rate jumps during MPR
JAKARTA (JP): The crime rate during the recent General Session
of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) increased 1.7 percent
from the rate recorded two and a half weeks before its
commencement, the chief of the city police's center of operations
and control said.
Col. Soenarko said on Friday 304 cases were recorded between
Oct. 1 and Oct. 21, an increase of five over the 299 recorded
between Sept. 10 and Sept. 30.
"The outstanding increases were recorded in road accidents and
vandalism. We expected accidents and street crime to be on the
rise during the MPR General Session, considering the unstable
conditions in Jakarta at the time," Soenarko told The Jakarta
Post.
Three strong blasts shocked thousands of supporters of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) who were
staging a mass rally on the major streets of the capital during
the election of Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid as president on
Oct. 20.
While the second blast caused one casualty near the Taman Ria
Senayan flyover in South Jakarta, police put the total number of
injured at 30, with some suffering serious burns.
According to police data, a total of 26 road accidents and 10
occurrences of vandalism were recorded during the General
Session, whereas only four accidents and two cases of vandalism
were recorded two and a half weeks before.
Data also revealed that 3,581 people, mostly hoodlums, were
arrested across Greater Jakarta in the Kilat Jaya police
operation.
A high point was on Oct. 13, when 656 people who got off
buses, trains and ships were arrested in one day for attempting
to join widespread protests in the capital.
"Another high point was on Oct. 14, when 749 people were
arrested for attempting to join protests in the capital. Most of
the people arrested came from Central, East and West Java,"
Soenarko said.
Other increases in criminal activities at the time included 11
robberies, 16 car thefts, 24 discoveries of bodies around the
capital and eight brawls. (ylt)