Pay guards extra over holidays, police say

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As about 2.11 million of 8.3 million residents of the capital will travel to their hometowns for the Idul Fitri holiday, city police have called on residents to empower local security guards in their neighborhoods and give them additional allowances for the extra work.

"If residents want their homes to be safe, they should provide additional income for the guards. It's unfair to demand that they work harder if residents do not reward them fairly," said Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara recently.

He had earlier called on Jakartans to inform local guards on their plans for the Idul Fitri holiday so they can beef up security measures on empty premises.

"Vacant houses are an easy target for burglars. Therefore, residents in housing complexes must tighten security in their respective areas," he said.

Police earlier acknowledged that they would not be able to uphold security in the city during the Idul Fitri holiday due to the limited number of officers.

Officially, 20,895 police officers are covering Greater Jakarta, including Tangerang, Depok and Bekasi, the population of which totals more than 18 million.

Some 12,628 officers have been deployed in the three-month Ketupat Lilin operation to safeguard the capital, an operation that started on Oct. 27 to welcome the fasting month, Idul Fitri and the Christmas holidays.

Makbul said that most local security guards have been living in poverty as they receive only a small amount of money.

Salim, 45, a community guard in Rawabunga neighborhood, Jatinegara, East Jakarta, said that he received only Rp 150,000 (US$17.65) in monthly allowance, paid collectively by the residents.

"My main job is as a security guard. However, the residents often ask me to do other jobs like being a parking attendant or a garbage man. I always oblige in order to earn extra income from tips given by residents," he said.

Another guard, Sujana, 40, from Cempaka Putih Timur, Central Jakarta, said he received only Rp 180,000 in monthly allowance for a 12-hour shift monitoring more than 90 houses in the area.

He complained that the guards often had to bear the brunt of blame if a crime, like robbery or burglary, occurred in their neighborhood.

Makbul has also promised that police will intensify their patrols in housing complexes to support the local guards.

Separately, city police chief of detectives chief Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang said that police would also deploy detectives in plain clothes to monitor crime-prone areas of the city.

He said police would monitor some 240 points in the city, known to be susceptible to crime, but declined to identify them.