KDM Calls for Boarding House and Rental Tenants to be Registered via RT/RW System

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has requested that all neighbourhood (RT) and community unit (RW) heads strengthen the registration of residents, including occupants of boarding houses and rental properties, as a measure to prevent criminal acts in residential areas. The policy was announced following a case of false imprisonment and assault against a 29-year-old woman in Bandung Regency, which recently drew public attention. “Every boarding house and rental property, every person who comes there must be photographed and have their ID card attached, then submitted to the data system managed by the RT and RW. This is also to prevent terrorism, which often occurs in rental properties,” Dedi said in Bandung on Monday. According to Dedi, the West Java Provincial Government will issue a circular regulating the digitalisation of resident data collection and the administrative control of rental property occupants through the neighbourhood system managed by RTs and RWs. “RTs and RWs are no longer accustomed to registering guests who come to their neighbourhoods. The tradition of reporting within 1x24 hours has begun to disappear,” he said. In addition to strengthening the neighbourhood registration system, Dedi also stressed the importance of the role of parents in supervising their children’s activities, both in social interactions and communication with other parties. “Today we see how freely underage couples interact without parental supervision,” he said. “Based on the financial records I have to date, Rp1 billion is needed within the next two weeks. We are preparing it, so there is no need to seek donations here and there,” he said. Furthermore, Dedi has handed over assistance of Rp250 million to the victim’s family in the form of savings to aid recovery and secure the victim’s future. The funds were originally prepared as a reward for members of the public who helped locate the perpetrator. After the suspect was arrested, all parties agreed to redirect the assistance to the victim. According to Rudi, the suspect’s status as a repeat offender could also be an aggravating factor in the sentencing process.