Mixed reactions to planned searches

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)