'Never leave your home, office empty'

'Never leave your home, office empty'

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When the lights are left on all day, the gate remains locked and
gutters are dry for days, burglars will quickly surmise that the
premises are empty.

But before committing their crime, they will ensure that
nobody is inside by telephoning the premises. When nobody picks
up the phone, they assume that no one is inside the building.

How do they get the phone number? Simply dial 108, state
telecommunications company PT Telkom's directory assistance, and
ask for the phone number for the address.

When all preparations are done, it is show time for burglars
targeting empty houses and offices.

"We sometimes knock on the door three times, pretending to be
visitors to the house or office to ensure that nobody is inside
the building," said Hery Priyadi, 35.

Hery is one of two suspected burglars who has admitted to
using such a modus operandi. He was arrested by police last week
with accomplice Andi Susandi, 33, when reportedly trying to sell
stolen goods at Manggarai flea market in South Jakarta.

"We entered a house or office after breaking open the lock on
the gate with a screwdriver," said Hery.

Hery and Andi used to operate between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., when
neighborhoods are quiet after the residents leave their homes to
go to work.

Wearing trousers, long-sleeved shirts, ties and polished
shoes, the pair would enter a building and take away small items
from the office or the house.

They claim they worked as burglars for only a month and only
stole goods from at least eight empty houses and offices in
September alone.

A senior police detective at city police headquarters in
charge of the investigation, Comr. Riad, believes that Hery and
Andi have been operating in the capital for a long time.

"They are old players in the business. They can steal small
items from two to three houses or offices per day," he said.

According to Riad, burglars take away portable items such as
fax machines, computers, printers, TVs and other electronic
devices that can be easily transported by motorcycle.

"They usually sell stolen goods at flea markets in Manggarai
and Taman Puring in South Jakarta and Senen in Central Jakarta,"
he said.

Riad has called on people to be vigilant as burglary has
become rampant.

"However, few people report such incidents to the police as
most of them dismiss the losses they suffer," he said.

Riad said police were still looking for other groups, adding
that several groups specialized in the burglary of empty houses
and offices.

"The burglars know each other, but they only work in a team of
two using a motorcycle during their actions," he said.

Burglary and theft top the list of crimes in the capital this
year followed by auto theft in second place.

During the first six months in 2003, a total of 2,955 theft
cases were reported to the police. Last year, a total of 4,567
theft cases were reported, a decline of 10 percent as against
5,093 in 2001.