Police warn of rising crime during holidays
Police warn of rising crime during holidays
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
City Police warned Jakartans on Friday that crime might be on the
rise before and during the holidays of Idul Fitri, Christmas and
New Year's, and asked residents to increase their awareness.
"I expect residents to immediately inform the nearest police
station or through our toll-free number 112 if they witness any
crime," City Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo told reporters
on Friday.
"We will also increase patrol activities in housing areas
because many houses will be left vacant as the owners visit their
hometowns," said the newly installed City Police spokesman.
City Police will deploy some 15,000 officers or two-thirds of
its total personnel to safeguard the city over the holiday
season, which will last from this Friday until Jan. 7, in an
operation dubbed the Operasi Ketupat Lilin.
Also deployed are some 1,000 sharpshooters who will be
stationed along main exodus routes and other places in its
jurisdiction which also include Tangerang in Banten and Bekasi
and Depok in West Java provinces.
"The sharpshooters are stationed in places prone to criminal
activities such as bus terminals, railway stations and high-
traffic intersections," said Prasetyo.
"Business and trade centers as well as tourism spots will also
be guarded by the sharpshooters.
"We will also put armed police officers aboard intercity
buses, commuter and long distance trains and ships," he added.
Despite deploying snipers and other armed officers, the police
did not issue a shoot-on-sight order to avoid any
misinterpretation.
"Any shoot-on-sight orders issued by police have the potential
to be misinterpreted," said Prasetyo.
"Every armed police officer has his or her own discretion on
when to shoot. So it will be the officers' responsibility if they
shoot the wrong target."
Commenting on the rampant robberies of banks or bank clients,
Prasetyo urged bank employees or customers to request free police
escorts when carrying a large amount of money.
also urged banks to
apply for firearms licenses with the National Police Headquarters
to improve security in the banks.
"Each individual is allowed to have licenses for two firearms.
Meanwhile, institutional applicants, such as banks, can apply
according to their needs," he said.
The latest robbery attempt happened on Thursday when a
security guard at Bank Bukopin managed to wrestle away a would-be
thief's gun and shot him dead.
Prasetyo also admitted that there were still possibilities of
bombings during the holidays although he could not predict when
such bombings may occur.
"We must pay attention to the Acehnese separatist movement and
other sporadic groups who are capable of doing such bombings," he
said.