Food trucks to be left alone, some escorted: Police
Food trucks to be left alone, some escorted: Police
JAKARTA (JP): For the time being traffic police have been
instructed not to stop and examine trucks loaded with staple
foods, in particular rice, due to the growing concern over the
steep rise in food prices in the city on the days leading up to
the Idul Fitri festivities.
"Police officers will not check the documents of these drivers
and vehicles," City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Haryoko
told reporters yesterday.
Even the police are not allowed to stop and ticket overloaded
vehicles carrying food stuffs.
If possible, the traffic police have to accompany and guard
the overloaded trucks to their point of arrival, Bambang said.
"We realize that it breaks the existing traffic rules but for
this limited period of time we have to decide which one is more
important for the sake of the public," the spokesman said.
According to Bambang, the measure was launched on Monday and
will last through to several days after Idul Fitri.
In recent weeks housewives have complained about the sudden
steep rises of many commodity prices in retail markets in and
around the city.
Usually, the prices of certain commodities, in particular
meat, rice, sugar, flour and cooking oil, increase a few days
prior to the Idul Fitri holidays, which this year will fall on
March 3 and 4.
"Besides anticipating the further increase of food prices, we
have also deployed a great number of our personnel to help
prevent any untoward incident during the celebrations," Bambang
said.
About two-third of the city's 15,000 police personnel have
been deployed to secure the Ramadhan month, which will end with
the Idul Fitri festivities.
The personnel are being assisted by thousands of security
officers from the City Military Command, City Land Transportation
Control Agency and other related agencies in the municipality
office.
Since the beginning of Ramadhan, they have been deployed to
guard mosques.
Pickpockets
Security officers have also started to guard all shopping
centers in the city, two or three weeks before Idul Fitri, to
protect shoppers against the increasing number of pickpockets.
"The public must be aware, because we've discovered a new
method of stealing, mostly committed by females who use blades to
slit open women's handbags," Bambang said.
A week before Idul Fitri, security officers will begin to
monitor and secure the flow of traffic and passengers at bus
terminals, railway stations, seaports and airports.
"Security officers will intensively carry out their respective
tasks seven days before and after the Idul Fitri holidays,"
Bambang said.
A week prior to Idul Fitri, more than two million people are
expected to leave the city to celebrate the holidays, which marks
the end of the Ramadhan fasting month, in their hometowns.
Thousands of people flock to the city bus terminals, railway
stations, seaports and airports everyday, leaving security
officers the extra task of monitoring the ticket fares,
controlling the traffic flow as well as protecting the people.
Many highways heading out of Jakarta to cities in other parts
of Java and Sumatra, will be crowded with public buses and
private vehicles.
This sight will appear again several days after Idul Fitri
when a great number of people return to the capital. (bsr)