Most crimes in North Jakarta related to drugs: Police

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Offenses related to drugs are the most common type of crime in North Jakarta, as indicated by the astounding number of perpetrators arrested by police, a senior police officer revealed on Friday.

"There is an average of between 20 and 27 drugs-related offenses per month," said Adj. Comr. Agus Sulistiyono, chief of North Jakarta Police detectives, in an interview with The Jakarta Post.

Agus added that from every arrest, the police were able to find more than one suspect.

"Narcotic offenses are the most common form of significant crime here," Agus said.

Agus indicated that of about 100 people put in North Jakarta Police precinct's jail, some 46 people were connected to drug- related crimes. The rest were related to car robberies and other crimes.

He attributed the significant number to North Jakarta's strategic position, which was adjacent to two entry points: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang and Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta.

Drug networks used North Jakarta as a transit point, before criminals reached their market in other parts of Jakarta, Agus said.

"From the airport, for example, people must pass through North Jakarta's toll road to reach the heart of the capital," Agus said.

Agus, however, admitted that the police found it difficult to crack down on drug-related offenses due to the solid and systematic nature of black market syndicates.

"Most drug networks are very professional. If we succeed to catch one point in the chain, it doesn't necessarily mean we can easily track down the other parts," Agus said.

Most suspects in drug-related crime remain silent during police questioning, Agus added.

Aside from drugs, the other top two types of crimes in North Jakarta were car and motorcycle thefts and robberies, Agus said.

"Every month, there are some 30 cases of theft and robberies reported in North Jakarta," Agus said.