Police intensify operations to trace illegally-owned guns

JAKARTA (JP): Police are intensifying street operations following reports that wealthy people traumatized by the mid-May riots have bought guns on the black market.

City police Chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman said yesterday that since Operasi Kilat Jaya (Greater Jakarta Lightening Operations) started on July 1, the authorities have seized 10 guns from both members of the Armed Forces and civilians.

The guns were seized because the owners did not have the necessary documents, he said.

Among the guns seized were an FN .22 caliber rifle, and .22 and .32 caliber Colts, he said.

He said that police officers had been deployed in public places such as business centers, busy intersections and areas like Cilegon, Tangerang and Bekasi where armed robbery was commonplace.

"Crime hotspots have been put under round-the-clock surveillance," he told The Jakarta Post. "We have also been watching places where guns were allegedly sold and have uncovered some leads."

To discover who is responsible for selling the guns, police have been investigating each case which comes to light very thoroughly, he added.

However, the police have so far refused to form a special team to specifically handle the firearms black market on the grounds that any such move would lead people to think that the problem was more serious than it actually was, he said.

Noegroho's comments come amid media reports that armed robberies in Greater Jakarta are on the rise and that guns can easily be obtained on the black market.

Many wealthy Chinese-Indonesians and some expatriates have reportedly obtained guns to defend themselves in anticipation of fresh riots targeting them.

The reports said people can buy guns illegally in Kramat Jati market in East Jakarta, Manggarai in South Jakarta and Senen market in Central Jakarta.

A Colt .22 was sold for between Rp 4 million and Rp 5 million, while an FN-45 or an FN-46 can be bought for between Rp 8 million and Rp 10 million. The going price for an M-16 assault rifle is Rp 20 million.

A GS 117 or GS 118, both of which fire tear gas canisters, can be purchased for Rp 9 million. Tear gas canisters retail at Rp 500,000 each, according to the reports.

Noegroho said the authorities had found expatriates in possession of guns capable of firing tear gas and were investigating how and where these guns were obtained.

"To possess a gun one needs to go through very difficult bureaucratic procedures, so we believe the guns we have recovered were purchased illegally on the black market," he added.

Meanwhile, noted criminologist Adrianus Meliala from University of Indonesia said that under the current circumstances people could not be blamed for purchasing guns.

"Some people have bought guns because they feel insecure after the mid-May riots. They (security officers) keep claiming that Jakarta is safe but people see otherwise.

"Criminal acts are committed not only by crooks but by angry mobs as well. That is something new and people are afraid of it. So the police cannot forbid them from buying guns to defend themselves," Adrianus told the Post.

Adrianus also pointed out that the people who were buying guns were wealthy and that they were intended for self-defense, not criminal activities.

What the police should do now, Adrianus said, was to intensify security operations such as Kilat Jaya.

"People who have guns should also have the necessary documents. The law should be upheld," he said. (edt)