Joint security patrols to police crime black spots
JAKARTA (JP): The city authorities would deploy a group of 15 police, soldiers and civilian security personnel at each of the city's crime black spots beginning Friday, a senior official said.
Some others would be posted in the areas with warring neighborhoods, deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Abdul Kahfi said on Thursday.
According to Kahfi, the decision was made by the city administration in cooperation with the Jakarta Military Command and City Police in light of the fact of the escalating number of street crimes and violent neighborhood clashes in the capital.
Speaking with the media after a meeting with heads of subdistricts prone either to crime and intra-resident clashes at the City Hall, Kahfi said the security personnel would be posted at street junctions, turning points and traffic lights, which have been vulnerable to street robberies and extortion.
"Every spot will be guarded by 15 officers. They will be on alert during the peak hours, such as during the time most employees go to and leave their offices and at lunch time," he said.
The civilian security personnel would include members of the city's public order office and hansip (civilian guards), Kahfi said
Data from the city public order office showed that the number of crime black spots in the capital had doubled from 31 in July to 60 last month.
It is believed that the number of such vulnerable areas would continue to increase in line with the trend of growing poverty.
Black spots
According to the office, the city's black spots included parts of the toll roads in the capital, street junctions on Jl. K.S. Tubun in Tanah Abang, Kota and Gambir railway stations, Lapangan Banteng, the Sarinah Department store, Matraman, Taman Suropati, Gunung Sahari and Senen in Central Jakarta.
In West Jakarta these include street junctions in Tomang, Grogol, Slipi and Jl. Daan Mogot and Jl. Kyai Tapa. In East Jakarta junctions in Cililitan, in areas around Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, along Jl. Pemuda and in Klender are notorious.
In South Jakarta among others: street junctions in Kuningan, Pondok Labu, Pancoran and the Blok M shopping area, along with several streets in the Ancol and Pluit areas of North Jakarta.
Kahfi said the security personnel would particularly safeguard all vehicles queuing at the traffic lights "because the crooks usually commit the crimes against motorists during the red light phase".
The deployment of the personnel would last until the city became safe again.
In the warring neighborhoods, the personnel would be located at nearby posts, which would be developed by stages beginning Friday.
Their presence, Kahfi said, was meant to settle the long-time clashes between residents of the neighborhoods, such as those in the Matraman Jaya and Manggarai subdistricts in Central Jakarta.
"We hope that their existence will ease clashes or at least settle any possible fresh brawls in these areas," he said.
According to the administration data, neighborhood brawls in the capital had claimed four lives and gutted 42 houses with a total of Rp 250 million in material losses. (ind)