Military to step up ongoing Jakarta anti-crime drive
Military to step up ongoing Jakarta anti-crime drive
JAKARTA (JP): Anticipating the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit next November in Bogor, the Jakarta military commander pledged to enlarge and step up the frequency of the ongoing anti-crime operation to ensure security and stability in the city.
"We will step up the frequency of the operation until the APEC summit.... As we don't want to take risks, we think it's high time for us to add military personnel for the operation," Commander Maj. Gen. AM Hendropriyono (Hendro) told journalists.
The two-star general made the remark after installing Lt. Col. Koesnadi as the Central Jakarta district military commander at the defunct Kemayoran airport yesterday.
As head of the city chapter of the Agency for the Coordination of Support for the Development of National Stability (Bakorstanasda), Hendro noted that the current number of personnel, 16,700 people, is bellow par and that he will triple their number.
The anti-crime drive launched by Bakorstanasda, code-named Operasi Bersih (Operation Cleansing), involves personnel from the Army, the Police, the Marine Corps and the Air Force as well as officials from Jakarta, Tangerang and Bekasi.
Although the APEC summit is scheduled to be held in Bogor, a scenic town in West Java 60 kilometers south of here, heads of government from APEC states will stay in hotels in Jakarta.
APEC members include six members of the Association of South East Asian Nations -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand -- along with the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Mexico.
Allegations
Hendro also denied allegations that the ongoing military backed Operation Cleansing is the move of an arrogant military.
"Our measures to curb crimes are not at all to show our arbitrary conduct, as hinted by a number of people. But, it's all our responsibility ... to ensure a dynamic stability," Hendro said.
To secure stability in the greater Jakarta area, the commander also said he had instructed all military personnel at barracks to be responsible for the security of their surroundings within a radius of five kilometers.
"I have assigned each garrison to secure their area respectively. This drive is to help the police in handling the security in the city," Hendro said.
Hendro noted that this policy means no part of the city will be free from military surveillance, since garrisons are spread evenly throughout the city.
In his address at the induction ceremony yesterday, Hendro also disclosed the latest running tally of arrests and confiscations, dating back to April 11.
Over 1,000 people have been arrested for various offenses, with 10 guns, 340 sharp weapons, 403,000 bottles of alcoholic drinks and almost four million doses of illegal drugs. (11)