Police vow to come down hard on unruly students
Police vow to come down hard on unruly students
JAKARTA (JP): City police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman
warned brawling students on Thursday that the police would no
longer show them mercy, but would begin to take stern measures
against those caught fighting in the streets.
"The students have gone too far with their street brawls and
there are strong indications that their actions have become
criminal acts which endanger other people's safety," Noegroho
said.
Speaking to dozens of the city's high school principals in a
belated Idul Fitri gathering at city police headquarters, the
two-star general said the police would get tougher in dealing
with delinquent students.
Delinquent students will be detained in jail and processed
according to their violations, Noegroho said.
"I personally will not recommend pardoning students who are
caught fighting in the street or in the possession of weapons,"
he said.
Street brawls have become an almost daily occurrence in the
capital.
Last year alone, Jakarta recorded a total of 230 brawls with
15 fatalities and scores of students and bystanders injured.
So far this year, at least five students have been killed in
some 25 street brawls.
"The year is only two months old and five of our children have
already been killed in these useless brawls," Noegroho said.
Four of the victims were killed in February, a month which saw
18 street brawls among rival groups of students.
Street fights among students are not a new experience for most
Jakartans. These brutal after-school activities have been taking
place for years.
Many of the incidents are sparked by minor disputes, and when
they turn into full-scale brawls, stones and bricks are not the
only weapons the students employ. Students are now carrying
sickles, sharp-edged metal rulers, swords and chains.
During the brawls, the warring student groups are out of
control, ignoring the safety of any bystanders unfortunate enough
to be caught in the middle of the violence. They also ignore the
warnings and orders of security forces, even disregarding warning
shots fired by the security personnel.
A student involved in a street brawl on Jan. 6 was believed to
have been killed by a stray bullet during the fight at Prumpung,
East Jakarta.
Noegroho on Thursday told brawling students in the capital to
take his warning seriously.
His remarks, especially his pledge to process arrested
students, was welcomed by most of the school principals who
attended the gathering.
"It's a relief that Pak Noegroho promises to take stern
actions against delinquent students," said Isrowi from state-run
vocational high school SMKN 5 Kebon Sereh in East Jakarta.
According to him, teachers have been expecting too much help
from security forces in disciplining their delinquent students.
The authorities, he said, had yet to take any firm actions in
handling the student brawls, and arrested students never ended up
in court.
Also showing his support for Noegroho, a headmaster from
privately run SMU Al-Azhar in Bekasi said that the majority of
delinquent students came from poor families who paid less
attention to their children.
"It's different if we deal with well-educated (and wealthy)
parents. They are thankful for what they have and they take an
active role in their children's education," the principal, who
asked for anonymity, said.
According to Isrowi, school authorities could only supervise
their students on school grounds.
"If they step a few meters away from the school yard, they
turn into uneducated strangers," he said.
"I myself worry if I happen to see a student brawl," he said.
His school routinely conducts searches for weapons carried by
the students, but they always come up empty-handed.
"They (students) must hide the weapons somewhere outside of
school," Isrowi said.
During the gathering, Noegroho also suggested that school
principals locate the informal leaders of the students to discuss
the reasons behind the brawls.
"Find and invite the informal leaders to talk," he said. (emf)