Police ready for new year

Police ready for new year

JAKARTA (JP): City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo said
yesterday he expected a decrease in the number of crimes next
year due to the success of current anti-crime drives.

Dibyo said over the weekend that the ongoing operations of
Kilat Jaya and Sapu Bersih have already brought down the number
of crimes committed in the city.

"We have pledged to fight every kind of crime," he told
reporters at City Hall.

Records indicate that the crime rate has dropped by 13 percent
due to the operations, which are backed by the military.

Dibyo said robbery, assault and vehicle thefts are the most
common crimes in Jakarta.

The Central Jakarta Police Precinct stopped 328 people for
various violations just on Thursday night, he said.

The precinct chief, Let.Col. Murawi Effendi, said yesterday
that 267 were stopped for not having ID cards, and that 35
street prostitutes and 18 transvestites were also detained.

"Three of them were netted for carrying sharp weapons, and
five for possessing illegal drugs," he said.

Murawi said that the operation, in effect from 7 p.m. Thursday
to 3 a.m. Friday, involved 300 officers from the precinct and 84
personnel from the Jakarta Military Command.

"We also seized hundreds of pornography books and hundreds of
bottles of alcoholic beverages," he said.

Murawi said the operation team also demolished and burned down
shanties which were being used as brothels along railway tracks
in the mayoralty.

The operation, part of Operasi Kilat, focused on certain
areas, including Tanah Abang bongkaran, Taman Lawang, Monas,
Roxy, Senen, Kramat Sentiong, Sawah Besar, Gunung Sahari, Jl.
Angkasapura, Cempaka Putih and Jl. Johar Baru. (yns)