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)