Police worried about displaced thugs, sex workers
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police fear the city administration's abrupt decision to close the Kalijodo prostitution and gambling complex in North Jakarta may increase the crime rate in the area as the government has not made efforts to provide alternative employment for the thugs and sex workers operating there.
The Kalijodo complex was a place where thousands of sex workers, food stall sellers, brothel owners, and thugs, operating as security guards and parking attendants, earned a living.
City Governor Sutiyoso announced on Monday the plan to close the complex.
Com. Krisna Murti of Penjaringan Police said on Tuesday that the number of crimes committed in his district had increased rapidly after the spot was sealed last weekend following riots in the area.
"In the past four days, there were eight reports of motorcycle thefts," he said, adding that the average incidence of such a theft was normally less than one per day.
Krisna suspected that the crimes involved "unemployed" thugs at the Kalijodo complex.
He expressed concern about the impact of the closing as the city administration had not made any plan to handle the sudden unemployment.
"It is easy for them just to order the closing without giving serious thought as to how to cope with the huge number of jobless people. The administration should immediately provide new jobs for them or else they will become a burden on society by becoming armed robbers or thieves."
He said that the police would not be able to cope with the crimes.
The Kalijodo complex was controlled by three ethnic groups of thugs; the H. Usman group whose members were from Mandar, South Sulawesi; the Agus and Riri group who came from Banten province and the Aziz group who came from Makassar in South Sulawesi. Each group consisted of between 400 and 500 thugs.
The complex was sealed by the authorities on Saturday, following ethnic riots, triggered by the unfair distribution of "protection" money.
One person died in the riot that led to the razing of 26 houses and an amusement center, while a police officer was badly injured by an arrow.