Organized crime not a problem yet: Seminar
Organized crime not a problem yet: Seminar
JAKARTA (JP): Judges and scholars at a seminar held here
yesterday were unanimous in their support for police efforts
against organized crime in Indonesia's cities.
"We have to anticipate the possible emergence of organized
crime groups, even though their methods may still be traditional
at this stage," Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman told
participants in the police-sponsored one-day seminar on organized
crime and its prevention, held at the Police Science College.
Muladi, from Semarang's University of Diponegoro, Satjipto
Rahardjo from the Moslem Assyafi'iyah College in Jakarta and
lawyer Lobby Loeqman all expressed appreciation for police
efforts to reduce crime and to prevent the growth of organized
crime in Indonesia.
According to Muladi, none of the crimes documented in police
records had been committed by organized syndicates.
Police investigations showed that racketeering, violent
robberies, drug trafficking, prostitution, vehicle theft,
terrorism and white-collar crime currently involved only small
groups of people, he said.
However, authorities must pay serious attention to the
phenomenon of organized crime, he said, because many crimes
committed in Indonesia had been linked to criminal networks in
other countries.
Rahardjo said: "Even though organized crime is not yet a
problem in Indonesia, we have to anticipate its arrival here as
early as possible, given the experience of other countries and
increasing globalization."
Scholar Mardjono Reksodiputro from the University of
Indonesia, who was one of the panelists, warned against the use
of violence in the fight against organized crime, saying it would
prove ineffective, even counterproductive.
"It (the use of violence by the authorities) only causes young
criminal groups to ask for protection from the syndicates,"
Mardjono said.
He said that the authorities' massive operation against street
hoodlums recently might not help stop the emergence of organized
crime syndicates in this country.
The seminar was attended by over 100 participants from related
fields. Other speakers included Supreme Court Justice Bismar
Siregar; former deputy national police chief for operational
affairs, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Koesparmono Irsan and former city
police chief, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Mochammad Hindarto.
Lobby said that, apart from anticipating the emergence of
strong organized crime syndicates, the authorities should also
pay attention to possible collusion between high-ranking
officials and criminals. "If such practices occur, they could
pave the way for the growth of (organized crime) syndicates," he
warned.
Police claim that there are no organized crime syndicates in
Indonesia but say they have found some small groups which ran
their operations in ways similar to those of notorious crime
syndicates abroad.
"These small units could grow stronger and become an
untouchable organized crime chain if adequate measures are not
taken to get rid of them right now," Hindarto said.
According to Koesparmono, many local criminal groups have
established legal companies as fronts for their illegal
operations.
Some of the amateur organized crime syndicates had also
cultivated close relationships with certain middle-ranking police
officers, whom they believe have a promising future, he said.
(bsr)