Police to take stern action on student brawls
Police to take stern action on student brawls
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata
ordered his subordinates yesterday to take stern action against
student brawls which were becoming more violent.
"I have not yet received the latest reports on the brawls, but
I have asked all officers at the police precincts to give extra
attention to the brawls," Hamami said.
He said the South Jakarta Police Precinct had set up a program
called Pelajar Siaga (Student Alert) to prevent student brawls.
Students were trained to protect their neighborhoods in the two-
week course.
"The program, held twice this year in South Jakarta, seemed to
work. We plan to extend the program to other precincts," he said.
Hamami agreed with observers that student brawls had become
crimes to some extent.
This week there has been a bus hijacking and students robbing
other students on buses.
On Monday, students from a Central Jakarta technical high
school stopped a bus on Jl. Kramat Raya and threatened students
on the bus with knives and demanded their wallets. Some had
sticks and belts with bicycle cogs attached to the buckles.
The attackers escaped when the bus reached the Kampung Melayu
bus terminal, East Jakarta.
The next day dozens of a senior high school students attacked
three students from a state senior high school and stole their
wallets. They cut their victim's hands and forced them off the
bus.
The three students, identified as Didi, Andi, and Yanto,
reported the incident to police.
A similar incident occurred Wednesday when students from a
private senior high school attacked students from a state senior
high school in a bus on Jl. Salemba, Central Jakarta. They
threatened them with knives and demanded their wallets. The
attackers escaped at the Kampung Melayu bus terminal.
At least 15 students have been killed in city brawls this
year. Most of the killers have not been caught.
Yesterday, many students from a Kelapa Gading private senior
technical high school were involved in a brawl with students from
another senior high school on Jl. Martadinata, North Jakarta.
The technical high school students threw stones at their
rivals in a bus which smashed several of the bus' windows. They
escaped when police tried to disperse them.
Police caught five students from the technical senior high
school who fell in a swamp beside the Hotel Wisata. No one was
injured in the brawl. (jun/leo)