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)