Over 300 hoodlums detained for alleged crimes
Over 300 hoodlums detained for alleged crimes
JAKARTA (JP): City Police have detained 307 of the 5,340 street hoodlums arrested in their massive on-going operation for alleged involvement in crime.
According to a deputy of the City Police chief, Brig. Gen. Hamami Nata, the suspects are facing a variety of charges, including illegal possession of weapons, drugs, and assault.
"All dossiers of their cases are expected to be completed and handed over to the prosecutor's offices next week," said the one- star general.
The completion of the dossiers would, however, depend totally on the work of the eight heads of the police precincts in the city, he said.
According to Hamami, the street hoodlums currently held have been apprehended since the start of the police's ongoing operation against street criminals, codenamed Operasi Kilat Jaya '95, on March 1.
Those not found to have been involved in crime have been released, he said.
Between March 9 and March 21, North Jakarta police alone arrested a total of 231 street hoodlums suspected of being involved in crime.
"Of that number, only three cases were handed over to the local prosecutor's office," head of the precinct, Lt. Col. Edi Darnadi, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
A local court in Tangerang, 30 kilometers west of Jakarta, has already tried eight out of 204 suspects arrested by the local police.
The eight people, who were sentenced to three days' jail and fined Rp 500 (23 U.S. cents) each, were found guilty of illegally controlling the flow of traffic at several intersections in Tangerang.
The number of hoodlums arrested this month was substantially higher than the 700 arrested last month, according to police data. Some of the 700 hoodlums arrested have been sentenced to prison terms of between three months and two years, after being convicted of various crimes.
Despite police claims that the current operation is routine, it is widely believed that the massive scale of the campaign is a response to an attack on two police officers on March 6 at the Blok M shopping area, which resulted in the death of one of the officers.
In the incident, one the 10 youths suspected to be involved was shot dead by police detectives. Police said that the suspect had been trying to escape from custody.
A number of other suspected street hoodlums have been shot dead during the current operation, prompting some members of the public to question the stated objectives of the operation.
National Police Chief, Gen. Banurusman Astrosemitro, has insisted that the operation has nothing to do with the Blok M incident.
"The shooting (of the suspected criminals) is not revenge, but we had no alternative because they tried to attack our officers," he told members of the House of Representatives in a hearing on Wednesday.
The operation against street criminals is being carried out nation wide. (bsr)