Judges, scholars call for battle against crime

Judges, scholars call for battle against crime

JAKARTA (JP): Judges and scholars choired together in a
seminar held here yesterday to strongly support the police war
against any prototype of organized crime syndicates in the city.

"It's far better for us to anticipate the possible growing of
organized crime groups, which have already operated even though
in only traditional ways," Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman told
participants of a police-sponsored seminar on organized crime and
its prevention at the Police Science College here.

"We have to be able to make an early estimation and detection
about their future growth," the minister said.

Scholars Muladi from the University of Diponegoro (in
Semarang), Satjipto Rahardjo from the Moslem-based Assyafi'iyah
College (Jakarta) and law practitioner Lobby Loeqman highly
appreciated all police maneuver in order to limit the number of
crimes and the possible well-organized crime groups in the
country.

According to Muladi, the main crime cases recorded by police
revealed that none of them have been carried out by any organized
crime syndicates.

Small groups

Based on police investigation, racketeering, violence robbery,
drugs trafficking, prostitution, vehicle thefts, terrorism and
white collar crimes only involved small groups of people, he
said.

Yet, the authorities have to pay serious attention against the
phenomena as many of the crimes had linked with other countries,
Muladi warned.

Rahardjo said: "Even though organized crimes have yet been a
problem in Indonesia, we have to anticipate their presence as
earlier as possible due to other countries' experience and the
world globalization."

But, a commentator of the seminar warned that an extreme
behavior such as the use of violence to overcome the organized
crime syndicates will never end their existence as what we
estimated before.

"It only lets the young criminal groups to ask protection from
the syndicates," said scholar Mardjono Reksodiputro from the
University of Indonesia.

For instance, the recent massive operation against street
hoodlums might not help avoid the presence of organized crime
syndicates in this country.

"The operation only touched 'the coat' of the syndicates
only," said the professor.

Thus, the authorities "need another different strategy to
drive the syndicates away from the country," Mardjono suggested.

The one-day seminar yesterday was attended by over 100
participants from related bodies. Other speakers included Supreme
Judge Bismar Siregar, former deputy national police chief for
operational affairs Maj. Gen. (ret.) Koesparmono Irsan, former
city police chief Maj. Gen. (ret.) Mochammad Hindarto and law
practitioner Noorsyahbani.

National Police Gen. Banurusman Astrosemitro in his speech
urged the meeting participants to adjust their vision, perception
and interpretation about organized crime syndicates in order to
formulate the prevention for such groups.

Loebby reminded that besides preparing to anticipate the
presence of strong organized crime syndicates, the authorities
have also had to worry about the collusion between high-ranking
officials and criminals which, in turn, could become an effective
embryo for the existence of such a syndicate.

Police claimed that there has been no single organized crime
syndicate in this country but found some small groups have run
their operation similar to those carried out by noted foreign
syndicates. (bsr)