Preventing bank robberies
The three armed robberies of bank clients that took place in February can probably best be likened to a show of force by the criminals, who shot and injured their victims.
A French national, Paul Quinn, was the first to fall in February, when four unknown men with handguns robbed him of Rp 142 million in a holdup on Jl. RA Kartini, Cilandak, South Jakarta. Quinn had just withdrawn the money from a branch of Bank Central Asia (BCA) in Pondok Indah, also in South Jakarta.
One of the criminals, who rode two motorbikes, shot through the drivers' window of Quinn's car before forcing him to give up the money. Thanks to quick action by the city police, the robbers were arrested on Thursday, Feb. 4.
The second robbery took place in Tebet, South Jakarta, on Feb. 24. Edi Irawadi, an employee of a private company, was shot in the leg in broad daylight by one of four men on two motorcycles. The robbers got away with Rp 130 million.
On the following day a 60-year-old woman was robbed in front of her home in Jatipulo, West Jakarta. The woman, who was accompanied by her son, had just withdrawn money from the Tomang branch of BCA. It was 10:30 a.m. when the robbers managed to rob her of Rp 50 million after shooting her; she was rushed to hospital for treatment of her injuries.
In late January, two unidentified men robbed two private company employees of Rp 178.9 million, which they had just cashed from a bank. The incident took place at 12:45 p.m.
There is an interesting pattern to the robberies that have occurred during the past few months: The modus operandi was similar.
Despite official acknowledgement that the robberies indicate that street safety cannot be guaranteed in Jakarta, everybody, especially those dealing with banks, should be extra-careful.
Stringent legal requirements govern the possession of guns in Indonesia, which means that only a select number of people are allowed to own and carry them. Therefore, the robberies could be considered evidence that police attempts to produce an inventory on the ownership of guns have not been very fruitful.
Armed robberies of bank clients have become one of the most difficult challenges for the police. It is the job of the police to arrest suspects and find out how robbers have acquired their firearms.
Speculation is unnecessary if robbers use guns that are official military or police issue, or if they use handmade guns.
Director of the city police general crimes unit Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang stated that the robbers were of a "new generation" that arose after the most wanted crook, Budi Setiawan, was shot dead. Budi was notorious for his audacity in robbing money from bank clients.
However, if bank clients know that the police are finding it difficult to deal with street robberies, and if clients are reluctant to ask for a police escort, then surely they must find ways to at least minimize the possibility of being robbed by street thugs.
The avoidance of direct transactions, including the withdrawal of cash from banks, could be the answer.
Companies could ask their employees to open bank accounts so that no withdrawal of cash would be necessary before pay day.
Where this is not possible bank clients have no choice other than to ask for a police escort. The police have frequently made it known that anybody wishing to withdraw cash from the bank may request a police escort free of charge.
However, should bank clients subscribe to the dictum that in practice nothing comes for free -- including police escorts -- they might be well advised to set aside a small amount of money for the officers -- much better than handing over the entire amount withdrawn to robbers.
Mathius reconfirmed that escorts were free. Whether or not bank clients are willing to make use of the service offered by the police, one thing they should take into consideration is that it is the clients who must initiate safety procedures; not others, which includes the police.