Jakarta's security situation dramatically worsening

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta has seen its security situation worsen considerably recently as indicated by the increase in street crime over the last three years, and many people are now afraid of utilizing public facilities, a seminar concluded here on Wednesday.

Street crimes include car thefts, burglaries, robberies, murders, extortion and other crimes that are committed on the streets, it was stated.

Due to the worsening security situation, people are afraid of using public facilities -- such as public phones, ATMs, restrooms, and pedestrian overpasses -- which are installed on or near streets. People are now also even afraid of using public transportation.

"Such feelings are forged through bad personal experiences and other people's bad experiences," said Rony Samtana, who was a speaker at the one-day seminar titled "How more frightening Jakarta is today", which was held on Wednesday at the Police College.

The seminar was the first seminar in the Police College's history to be held in the English language, and featured, among other speakers, Steven Hargrove, a police consultant from the United States Embassy who is assigned to liaise with the National Police, and two other speakers, both of whom are students of the Police College.

Rony said the rising number of offenses being solved by the police had failed to remove public feelings of insecurity due to the massive number of unreported crimes.

Rony remarked that many people still felt threatened by crime given that the reported cases were only the visible tip of a massive iceberg.

Another speaker, Dedi Kusuma Bhakti, attributed lingering feelings of insecurity in society to rampant street crime.

"Most of the crimes have occurred on the streets. It's no wonder given that Jakarta residents spend a lot of their time on the streets as they go to their workplaces and return home," Dedi told the seminar.

One of the police speakers shared his experiences of the Blok M bus terminal in South Jakarta, where he managed to arrest nine pickpockets out of only 11 passengers on a public bus.

According to police data, the number of cars stolen last year jumped to 6,466 from only 2,593 and 3,384 respectively in 2000 and 1999. For the first seven months of this year, the figure was still hovering at 3,525. This means that more than 16 cars are stolen every day.

The number of extortion cases rose to 524 last year as compared to 276 and 246 in 2000 and 1999. As of July this year, 270 extortion cases had been reported.

Last year, the number of burglary cases doubled to 5,093 from 2,853 and 3,194 respectively in 2000 and 1999, while in the course of the first seven months of this year, the figure stood at 2,858 cases.

Robberies also jumped to 2,047 last year as compared to 1,467 in 2000 and 1,616 in 1999, while the figure so far this year stands at 1,402 cases.

In addition to increasing crime, the police's poor performance is also widely believed to have contributed to the feeling of insecurity among Jakarta residents.

The police are often criticized for being late to arrive at crime scenes and for the lack of police patrols in areas prone to crime.

Meanwhile, Steven Hargrove said the police must cooperate with all elements in society to crack down on rising crime in the city.

"The police must bring in all the people in the community, including businesspeople, non-governmental organizations, governmental institutions, as partners to promote security in the city," Hargrove said.

Partnership with all parties in society, Hargrove said, would also in turn help improve public appreciation for a police officer's dangerous and difficult jobs.

"The salary that you get today doesn't tell that (about the dangers involved in police work)," Hargrove said, adding that a salary hike might also provide the impetus for police officers to improve their professionalism and performance.

Tips for avoiding crime:

1. Don't be stupid by going to the wrong place at the wrong time, like going to quiet places at night alone.

2. Be on the alert and watchful when passing through unfamiliar places.

3. Instead of carrying a bag on your back, move it onto your chest.

4. If you happen to come face to face with criminals, pretend that you are not an easy target for them, for instance by yelling aggressively in the Indonesian language Mau apa kamu (What do you want?).