Drugs top crime list in Norh Jakarta

Drugs top crime list in Norh Jakarta

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Offenses related to drugs are the most common type of crime in
North Jakarta, as indicated by the astounding number of
perpetrators arrested by police, a senior police officer revealed
on Friday.

"There is an average of between 20 and 27 drugs-related
offenses per month," said Adj. Comr. Agus Sulistiyono, chief of
North Jakarta Police detectives, in an interview with The Jakarta
Post.

He indicated that of about 100 people put in North Jakarta
Police precinct's jail, some 46 people were connected to drug-
related crimes. The rest were related to car robberies and other
crimes.

He attributed the significant number to North Jakarta's
strategic position, which was adjacent to two entry points:
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang and Tanjung
Priok port in North Jakarta.

Drug networks used North Jakarta as a transit point, before
criminals reached their market in other parts of Jakarta, Agus
said.

"From the airport, for example, people must pass through North
Jakarta's toll road to reach the heart of the capital," Agus
said.

Agus, however, admitted that the police found it difficult to
crack down on drug-related offenses due to the solid and
systematic nature of black market syndicates.

"Most drug networks are very professional. If we succeed to
catch one point in the chain, it doesn't necessarily mean we can
easily track down the other parts," Agus said.

Most suspects in drug-related crime remain silent during
police questioning, Agus added.

Aside from drugs, the other top two types of crimes in North
Jakarta were car and motorcycle thefts and robberies, Agus said.

"Every month, there are some 30 cases of theft and robberies
reported in North Jakarta," Agus said.