Hamami supports public efforts to nab criminals
Hamami supports public efforts to nab criminals
JAKARTA (JP): City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata gave his
support yesterday to civilians who assist police eliminate crime
by capturing and handing over alleged criminals.
But Hamami warned the public not to take the law into their
own hands by assaulting suspects.
"People participation in fighting crime is very helpful," the
two-star general said. "But they are not allowed to physically
attack suspects, it is against the law."
Hamami was commenting on the growing number of beatings by
angry mobs who capture alleged criminals red-handed.
According to police data, at least seven people have been
badly beaten by civilians in the capital this month. Four of the
suspects died.
At least four of those beaten were later identified as
hoodlums who extorted money from passersby and traders.
The latest mass beating occurred in Kampung Ceger, East
Jakarta, on Thursday when a crowd of angry people ganged up on
two alleged extortionists. Both men died.
The two unidentified men were caught by local people, who were
upset by the impact of the men's crimes on the neighborhood.
City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said yesterday
that the two men, and two accomplices who managed to flee from
the mob, had allegedly assaulted Aman Andi Yangah, 27, and
Suwandi, 30 and made off with Rp 5,000 (US$1.30).
"Aman was slashed with a knife across the chest while Suwandi
was slashed across the forehead and stabbed in the nose as well,"
Aritonang said. "The two suspects lashed out after they
discovered that Aman and Suwandi could only give them Rp 5,000.
"Isn't it a shame that one person can actually stab another
over Rp 5,000," he said. "I also feel sad that two lives were
lost because of money."
The stolen Rp 5,000 note was found in one of the dead men's
pockets.
Shootings
Hamami defended yesterday his officers' handling of alleged
criminals after their arrest.
He said repressive measures were only used as a last resort.
However, their actions should not go against existing laws and
police investigation procedures.
"Officers do not easily resort to such strong measures,
particularly the shooting of an offender," Hamami said. "Only if
placed in a critical situation, in which the victim's or his own
life is at stake, will an officers shoot the suspect out of self-
defense."
At least 80 alleged criminals have been shot dead and another
25 wounded by police here this year.
In many cases, the official police announcement states that
the alleged criminals were shot or wounded as they tried to
escape or attack the officers.
The latest shootings took place Thursday. Three alleged armed
robbers were shot dead in separate incidents in East and Central
Jakarta.
Police identified two of the men as hoodlums from the Kramat
Jati market in East Jakarta.
Earlier, the commander of the National Police Detectives
Corps, Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi, said in a seminar on Wednesday that
crimes perpetrated by hoodlums had already become a national
matter.
In 1995, the National Police identified more than 30,000
hoodlums who operated in various parts of the country, especially
big cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Medan and Surabaya, Nurfaizi
said.
"The hoodlums come from various ethnic and education
backgrounds with ages ranging from under 15 to over 40."
Nurfaizi said that their actions, which have irritated and
scared many people, had become more threatening. He also pointed
to the increasingly organized nature of hoodlumism, with many
perpetrators recently linked to organizations or legal
institutions.
"Many hoodlums are now hired as debt collectors, drugs dealers
or pimps," he said. (cst)