Police worried about displaced thugs, sex workers
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.