Officials warn Jakartans against tempting thieves

Officials warn Jakartans against tempting thieves

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso and City Council Speaker Edy
Waluyo warned Jakartans on Friday not to make ostentatious
displays of wealth in public areas due to a growing number of
violent robberies in the capital.

Wearing precious jewelry, for instance, should be temporarily
avoided since it could lure criminals, who may use violent
methods to extract valuables during this time of hardship, they
said.

Sutiyoso and Edy also urged city police and private citizens
to help improve and strengthen public security so Jakartans could
feel more secure.

"We should all admit that it (the escalating number of violent
crimes) is a consequence of the current economic crisis and
never-ending hardships faced by many people here," Sutiyoso said.

"To protect ourselves from becoming a target, we should first
do something ourselves, such as avoid showing off our
belongings."

According to Edy, people should now think about ways to better
protect themselves.

People, he said, should not entirely rely on public security
officers for protection since they were so limited in number.

Police have also been busier over the past few months due to a
mushrooming number of crimes, including bank scams, and political
problems, the councilor said.

The city has witnessed especially over the past few weeks a
growing number of thefts accompanied by brutal attacks against
the victims.

Senior police officials have estimated that violent crime in
the capital will climb further as the economic crisis continues
to deepen.

The latest brutal crime took place in West Jakarta on Thursday
when a man was shot to death after trying to stop two robbers who
had just stolen Rp 60 million of his company's money.

A day earlier, the residents in the area were also shocked
when a housewife and her six-year-old daughter were brutally
killed in their house in Palmerah during an apparent robbery.
(ind)