New police chief vows to foil city's criminals
JAKARTA (JP): On his first day as National Police chief, Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi yesterday vowed to continue his predecessor's program to secure the capital, which has been rocked by a series of armed robberies over the past few weeks.
The police would intensify their routine operations and patrol throughout the city to minimize criminal activity, Roesmanhadi said.
"We will continue to back up neighborhood watch programs run by residents so that all parts of the city, from up town to down town and kampongs will be covered," he told reporters after his installment at the Mobile Brigade Headquarters in Kelapa Dua.
He was officially installed yesterday by Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto and replaces Gen. Dibyo Widodo.
Roesmanhadi, who became a three star general on Monday, also hoped that under his leadership the police could solve the series of armed robberies which has hit the capital recently.
"Give me times to work on it. I've not sat down yet," he said with a smile.
Residents of Greater Jakarta have been stunned by at least 10 armed robberies in the past three weeks.
Jakarta Police have recorded 28 armed robberies in the city this year to the first week of June.
"Armed robberies have grown as consequences of the prolonged monetary turmoil.
Some people are now desperate enough to rob and steal," city police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
In a bid to curb the rising number of armed robberies in the city, police have increased routine operations and tightened the security within and around Jakarta.
"We are running 24 hour street patrols in coordination with personnel from the military starting from this month.
We will continue to do so until it is no longer necessary, well, until people feel save," he said.
A force of 500 men from several military divisions, including Jakarta Military Police and Jakarta Military Command, have been drafted in to work a shift system with the police to patrol the streets of the capital.
The recent armed robberies of a number of bank customers and two money changers' offices have resulted in a total loss of more than Rp 1 billion, left one man dead and at least two people severely injured.
Results
In concordance with efforts to minimize armed robberies here, police personnel involved in the so-called Kilat Jaya (Greater Jakarta Lightening) operation apprehended at least 12 men during their latest operation on Thursday morning.
The first three were rounded up at Kalimalang in East Jakarta and the other nine in Senen, Gunung Sahari and Kramat in Central Jakarta.
The nine men were caught with a variety of sharp weapons including two swords and five machetes in their possession.
The first three men arrested, identified as Suatman, 38, Slamet Riyadi, 23 and Nurchuat, 34, were stopped while driving a dark blue Espass van, license plate number B 2742 XP.
"We became suspicious after we found hydraulic scissors (normally used for cutting iron) and five fake license plates in the back of the van," Capt. S. Swid from the East Jakarta Police precinct said.
While police were examining the vehicle, two of the group, Slamet and Nurchuat, ran away and hid in a nearby garden, but were apprehended by a police Mobile Brigade patrol.
"I'm shocked. the police raided my house and told me there were robbers men hiding in my garden," the house owner Ramos Tarmingge said.
Separately, the city police also announced that they had recently recovered two eight-millimeter FN guns and 20 live rounds of ammunition belonging to two former members of the Army.
According to city police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang, the guns were allegedly used in a series of armed robberies in Bekasi, Tangerang and Jakarta.
"The guns were allegedly used by five suspects, identified as UH, 28, SR, 35, TL, 27, SO, 30 and PN, 28.
We believe they are members of a vehicle theft gang operating in Greater Jakarta," Aritonang said.
The five are still at large. (edt)