Police warns of stern action against disruptive students
Police warns of stern action against disruptive students
JAKARTA (JP): The police said yesterday they would no longer
compromise with students who were caught brawling or carrying
weapons.
City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said officers
would take stern action against students who assaulted fellow
students.
"Those who are found guilty will be processed in line with
existing regulations. There's to be no more house detention, no
more counseling programs," Aritonang said.
House detention involves a convicted person reporting
regularly to the police.
He said the police had done enough to anticipate brawls, by
providing programs like School Security Patrol Students and On-
the-Alert Students, and had tried to be lenient on the students
who had become more violent.
Aritonang said the police would intensify their crackdown on
students, especially against those who owned or kept weapons.
Six high school students have reportedly died in brawls this
year.
The latest victim, Madinah bin Simin, 18, who attended the
private Panti Karya technical high school in Depok, died Monday
after being mobbed by students from the private Kesuma Bangsa
technical high school, also in Depok.
The police arrested three Kesuma Bangsa students for their
alleged involvement in the incident. Nesan, 18, and M. Yahya, 16,
were arrested at their homes in Depok later on Monday. The third,
M. Husein, 16, was arrested yesterday at school.
Police said that previously officers would either separate the
warring parties, or only detain those who were caught with
weapons.
Those who were nabbed during brawls would be taken to the
police station for questioning and counseling, and within 24
hours released. Only those who were thought to be guilty of more
serious offenses would be detained for further questioning.
The program emphasized talking about the problem with
students, parents, and schools rather than imposing harsh
penalties.
City Council Speaker Edy Waluyo said Thursday that he
regretted the increasing number of student brawls.
"They should have been stopped from the very beginning. Every
one -- parents, teachers, and the public -- should take
responsibility to help eliminate the problem," Edy said.
In the last week police have raided students on public buses
and at places where students are known to hang out after school
hours, Aritonang said.
He said Central Jakarta officers seized 12 sharp weapons
Wednesday and arrested two students possessing weapons in a raid
on a bus in Gambir.
On Thursday, police nabbed 70 students on public buses on Jl.
Otista Raya and Jl. Ahmad Yani in East Jakarta, and seized
weapons, including machetes, blades, knives, a samurai sword, and
a sickle.
Police said seven of the 70 students who were caught with
weapons, were detained for further questioning, while the rest
were released after their teachers visited the police station.
On Tuesday, five students from the Ristek technical high
school, also in East Jakarta, were arrested for possessing sharp
weapons. (cst/ste)