Reduce crime in the city

Reduce crime in the city

From Jayakarta

Of late, violence in Jakarta and in the vicinity, which is
supposed to be a model for other districts, is growing
increasingly more gory. Robberies, slayings, thefts and other
criminal acts are prevalent everywhere. It forms the daily diet
of TV broadcasts and the press.

The public is getting more frightened each day. Doubts have
arisen about the security sector, as many victims of lower social
levels have fallen.

Robberies of cabbies, bajaj drivers, ojek motorists and money
collectors usually end in cruel slayings. The same goes for petty
crimes, which are topical news in the media. Violence and crime
erupt easily. All these should have a cause. It is possible that
rampant land appropriation could have a hand in the situation.
Admittedly, these displaced people are at fault. Their plight,
however, has been going on for years. Over time, most of them had
been issued ID cards and they paid their dues to the land and
housing revenue office, despite the fact that their domains
occupied disputable or abandoned plots, or neglected state land.

Then suddenly, they were given only a few days to move. They
were chased away and their houses were demolished. Nobody thought
about their resettlement problems, not even if it was the rainy
season.

Such situations will likely become a source of crime and
violence. Even non-victims find it hard to suppress their
emotions in sympathy of these land victims, especially if family
members were found among the victims. These might be the seeds
for vengeance.

Security officials are not able to do much in such situations,
despite the suggestion that those withdrawing money from banks
should request the company of security guards. This preventive
measure is by no means a guarantee to keep crime at bay, since
victims are not only those withdrawing millions; those with tens
of thousands of rupiah in their pocket also fall prey to violent
crime.

We hope that such violence will be localized, and should not
spread to the regions. Otherwise, it might signal an unsteady
situation throughout the nation.

We propose to the governor of Jakarta to function as a
minister in the Jabotabek region right away. In this way, unsafe
developments in the capital could be monitored, or directly
reported at meetings of the cabinet. Aside from that, security
officials should get together to organize themselves.
They should not distribute telephone numbers in case of emergency
only. It is time that neighborhood chiefs in large cities be
equipped with walkie-talkies and be officially inducted as
"information centers".

By the same token, there are many people sporting handphones
today. The police should suggest to handphone owners that they be
prepared to act as official "information centers". They should be
issued membership cards to give them a sense of responsibility.
If necessary, they should be sworn in too.

MYNA

Jakarta