Police announce sharp drop in crime
Police announce sharp drop in crime
JP/3/CRIMES
Police announce sharp drop in crime
JAKARTA (JP): City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Mochammad Hindarto
said the greater Jakarta area has shown a considerable decrease
in the crime rate since the launching of the ongoing massive
anti-crime operation.
"Since the operation, codenamed Operasi Bersih (Cleansing
Operation) was launched, all of the 70 kinds of crimes have shown
a significant decrease," the two-star police general said
yesterday.
The army sponsored operation was launched on April 11.
The number of forces involved in the operation has increased
by almost three times from 16,700 personnel in the initial stages
to 48,600 at present.
Hindarto said the 70 kinds of crimes fell by 13.8 percent to
2,110 cases in April from 2,448 cases in March.
The so-called "four main crimes", a police term for auto
theft, muggings, break-ins and serious physical assault, recorded
a 24.9 percent drop.
In April the police recorded only 944 reported cases of the
four main crimes in the greater Jakarta area compared to the
1,257 cases in March.
In East Jakarta, for instance, which for years ranked first in
crime, police recorded a 50 percent drop of the four main crimes.
"There are only eight cases reported every day since the
operation. Before, there were 15 to 20 crime cases reported every
day," said Lt. Col. Susmono Susilo, East Jakarta police chief,
yesterday.
On some days, especially on Sundays, there were no cases
reported at all, Susmono was quoted by Antara as saying.
"Formerly we were almost always ranked first in crime cases in
the greater Jakarta. Now, we rank fourth," said beaming Susmono
proudly at a ceremony at the Jakarta military garrison where 40
youth organizations read their pledges to participate in the
operation.
Susmono's statement was supported by Lt. Col. Didi Supandi,
spokesman for the Jakarta Military Command.
"Based on the results, we call once again on all walks of life
to take part in the operation so that a more secure life can be
created," Didi said.
Didi and Susmono credited the success of the operation to the
participation of the public in general, the majority of whom were
throwing their weight behind the military and the police in the
operation from the beginning.
Dark cases
Hindarto said he hoped that the significant drop in crime
cases in the greater Jakarta area would give more time to his
personnel to tackle other cases which remain in the dark.
"We hope that we can fully concentrate on solving other crimes
which require more thought," he said.
Thus far the city police, however, have yet to solve some big
crime cases, including the murder of six family members of Herbin
Hutagalung in Pondok Gede, the murder of a kindergarten girl,
named Levina, in Ancol and the assassination of a businessman
with reputed mob connections, Nyo Beng Seng, in Pluit, North
Jakarta.
Around 1,500 criminals have been captured and millions of
bottles of liquors and hundreds of sharp weapons and firearms
have been confiscated during the Operation Cleansing.
Police and military sources said the operation was aimed at
ending street crimes in preparation for the upcoming Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Bogor, south of here,
which will be attended by a number of heads of governments from
several countries.
However, the Jakarta Military Command insisted the operation
was mainly aimed at combating crimes, which had been increasing
since the beginning of the year.
"Thereby, it will continue after the APEC meeting," said Brig.
Gen. Wiranto, chief of the staff of the Jakarta Military Command,
last week. (bsr/jsk)