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)