Police, taxi firms join forces to prevent robberies

Abdul Khalik and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Amid public concern over the frequent cases of robbery inside taxis, the Jakarta authorities and taxi operators will apply several measures to prevent such crimes from taking place.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana said on Monday that the police, Jakarta Transportation Agency, the Organization of Land Transportation Owners in Jakarta (Organda DKI) and dozens of taxi operators had met recently to discuss preventive measures they would take.

"The police can't work alone to stop the crimes. Taxi operators and the transportation agency should help us because many actions to prevent the robberies can be addressed by them," he said.

Security inside taxis in the capital has become a concern as there have been at least 15 cases of robbery inside taxis since March.

In most of the cases, the taxi driver collaborated with a gang of robbers.

The most recent victim was South Korean citizen Nam Ho In, 41, who was found lying unconscious and injured in Kampung Curug, Sawangan, Depok last Saturday after he was robbed inside a taxi.

Late last month, Halimah, 30, was also robbed in a taxi in Cilincing, North Jakarta.

While admitting the police's failure to solve the cases, Ketut said that prevention measures should be applied immediately to prevent any new cases.

Taxis, for instance, should use transparent, non-tinted glass while the driver should turn on the light inside the taxi.

Operators are also asked to block the trunk of the car to prevent robbers from hiding in the trunk and entering the back seat of the taxi through the gap at the back of the trunk.

"The taxis should also be equipped with an alarm and Global Positioning System (GPS) so that they can be monitored by both the operators and the police," Ketut explained.

Organda also agreed that each taxi operator must use a distinctive logo and color so that people could recognize immediately the taxi they had taken.

Ketut said that the taxi operators had expressed their commitment to screen taxi drivers because around 75 percent of robbery cases inside taxi were conducted with the help of the taxi driver.

"We and the taxi operators will conduct regular spot checks on taxis on the street to make sure the driver is legitimate, and no freelance drivers shall be allowed to drive the taxi," he said.

Meanwhile, an executive of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) transportation division, Sudaryatmo, said the authorities needed to address at least two problems.

He pointed out that many taxis operating in the city are owned by individuals without any connection to a particular operator.

"They should solve this problem as if there is an incident inside such taxis, no institution can be held responsible."

"Moreover, the city should also monitor the performance of each taxi operator, and if the operator is found to have violated regulations, they should revoke its permit," Sudaryatmo said.

Steps to be taken by taxi operators for passenger safety

1. The taxi should use transparent, non-tinted glass
2. The light inside the taxi should be switched on at night
3. The space between the trunk and back seat should be blocked
4. An alarm and GPS must be installed inside each taxi
5. Each taxi must have a distinctive color and logo
6. Taxi operators and police will conduct regular random checks
to make sure the driver is an firm employee, not a freelance driver

Source: Jakarta Police