Jakarta increasingly unsafe to travel in, survey shows
Jakarta increasingly unsafe to travel in, survey shows
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Margaretha Maria, 30, having heard all the horror stories of
criminals running wild in the city, was worried about what to
wear, what bag to carry and what type of transportation she
should take to her bank in Matraman, Central Jakarta, to withdraw
Rp 30 million.
Margaretha said she was afraid to take a taxi or bus carrying
so much cash after hearing all the stories about robbers
targeting bank customers.
"That's why I asked my husband to accompany me, so he was late
getting to his office," said the resident of Rawabunga, East
Jakarta.
"I have never been victimized and, of course, I don't want to
fall prey to robbers. But I'm really scared," she said, citing
the fatal robbery of Wisnani Safitri, 51, the wife of Ministry of
Finance's secretary-general Agus Haryanto, last January.
The robbers slashed Wisnani in the neck in front of her home
in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, when she refused to hand over her
bag. She died on the way to the hospital.
Like Margaretha, many Jakartans feel unsafe using public
transportation because of all the reports of crime in the
city.
According to a survey by the Study for an Integrated
Transportation Master Plan for Greater Jakarta last year,
Jakartans are most concerned about security when selecting which
type of public transportation they will take.
Comfort, cost, convenience and speed are all of lesser concern
for city commuters, the survey said.
Most of those questioned preferred private cars and taxis.
Motorcycles, ojek (motorcycle taxis), becak (three-wheeled
pedicabs), bajaj (three-wheeled motorized taxis), limited seat
buses, regular buses and trains were other options.
Security has become a serious concern for Jakartans as the
crime rate has increased over the last several years,
particularly crimes targeting people on the streets.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanegara
acknowledged that crime had risen in this city of some 10 million
people.
"There has been an increase in crime rates. Various social
problems, coupled with the economic crisis, are the main factors
(behind this)," the chief said in a statement on Wednesday.
The country's economic crisis, which began in the middle of
1997, is often blamed for increasing crime rates in Jakarta and
other cities.
The number of crimes reported in Jakarta jumped significantly
from 22,485 in 1997 to 33,284 in 2001 and 34,270 in 2002. The
worse year for crime, however, was 1998, when there were 40,769
reported cases.
As of June 12 this year, Makbul said, a crime such as
homicide, auto theft, aggravated assault and extortion took place
in the city every two minutes and 56 seconds. In the same period
last year this figure was two minutes and 51 seconds.
There also seems to have been an increase in the violence of
the crimes being committed this year.
In the past six months, for example, 12 shootings involving
civilians were reported to the city police, including the
attempted murder of businessman Paulus Tejakusuma, who was shot
on a busy street in Central Jakarta.
Urban observer Yayat Supriyatna of Trisakti University said
criminals were now targeting locations once considered to be
among the safest places in the city -- people's homes.
"High and strong steel fences around homes in Jakarta simply
reflect how residents here feel insecure living in the city," he
said.
Most frequent crimes in Jakarta
2001 2002 as of June 12, 2003
1. Burglary 2,647 2,546 802
2. Theft 5,093 4,567 2,565
3. Aggravated assault 1,225 1,372 530
4. Homicide 73 76 30
5. Vehicle theft 6,466 6,180 2,552
6. Arson 421 489 171
7. Gambling 248 400 183
8. Extortion 524 594 223
9. Rape 89 107 50
10.Drug trafficking 1,831 2,642 1,134
11.Juvenile Delinquency 60 49 20
TOTAL 18,677 19,011 8,332
Source: City police