Mixed reactions to planned searches

JAKARTA (JP): The public gave mixed reactions on Friday over the city police's plan to launch three operations to search for weapons and explosives, fight crimes against public transportation vehicles and enforce traffic regulations.

"I think it's good if the police seriously conducted such operations," Yusnaini, a housewife from Ciputat, South Jakarta, said.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam revealed on Tuesday that the police would launch three operations, code-named Sapu Jagat Jaya I, Zebra Jaya 2001, and Brantas Jaya 2001, in the capital starting early next month.

Anton asked for the public's understanding for any inconvenience caused during the operations, which were aimed at reducing the crime rate in the capital and creating a better living environment.

Christine, an employee at a printing company in West Jakarta, could understand if the police needed to launch such operations because the security in the capital is bad.

"We know how it feels for women to drive alone after work. It's better to be stopped by the police and inconvenienced for a few minutes than to be stopped by criminals," she remarked.

Unlike the two women, Wahana, a Dian taxi driver, questioned the difference between the planned operations with similar operations frequently held in the capital.

"If they want to catch criminals, just do it, don't just talk a lot. That's their job," he said.

Wahana said he had some bitter experiences with night police raids on motorists, saying police officers had to be given clear guidelines on how to deal with motorists.

"We need the police to be more polite to our passengers, otherwise passengers will not get into our taxis.

"Once I experienced a late night police search when driving along Jl. Kramat Raya. The officers berated my passengers and asked for money. The passengers then blamed me for not protecting them," he recalled.

Neta S. Pane from Police Watch, a non-governmental organization, said he was pessimistic on the effectiveness of the operations and hoped the police would not just boast about the plans.

"I hope this is not just another police rhetoric, like their sensational announcement on Tommy (former president Soeharto's fugitive son Hutomo Mandala Putra). I'll give them the thumbs-up if they can simply do their tasks right without making any promises to the public," Neta said. (emf)