Police to protect poorly lit neighborhoods

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.