Police to protect poorly lit neighborhoods

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City Police will deploy more patrol officers in neighborhoods affected by the Jakarta administration's energy-saving measures.

Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said on Tuesday that he would first consult with Sutiyoso's administration in order to identify exact areas that need more security attention, especially after the city ordered street lights switched off after 10 p.m.

"I have ordered precinct and sub-precinct chiefs to conduct more patrols in dark neighborhoods," he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued a decree on energy conservation on Sunday, and in support of this Governor Sutiyoso announced that the lights in several public places and roads would be turned off earlier in the evening to reduce the city's energy consumption.

Many people have expressed concerns that the amount of crime -- such as robbery and theft -- would increase in their areas because of the reduced lighting.

"We support the idea of turning the lights off in the evening as we understand that this is a part of national movement to save fuel and energy. However, we are afraid that criminals will take advantage of it," Anto, 35, of Pisangan in East Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post.

He said that even without the intentional blackouts, several robberies had taken place around his neighborhood.

"I hope officers at the nearby police station will be more alert and can carry out more frequent patrols," Anto said.

Firman said that they would not increase the current number of personnel as they would utilize idle personnel to guard the areas.

Although Firman acknowledged that increasing patrols meant more fuel for police motorcycles and cars, he promised to be as efficient as possible.

"We will discuss with precinct and sub-precinct chiefs on how we should arrange patrols without increasing our operational costs."

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said that police already had data on areas prone to crime, and would adjust it with city administration's street lighting black-outs plan.

He identified several crime-prone areas in the capital, including areas around Pasar Koja in North Jakarta, around the Cempaka Mas intersection in Central Jakarta and Cililitan in East Jakarta.

"Our officers there have been told to intensify their patrols. We hope that residents will quickly report to us if a crime occurs in their areas," he said, adding that residents can contact the police by sending text messages to 1717.