Residents alarmed as brawls in Tambora occur up to three times a week
Jakarta - Residents of Jalan Jembatan Besi, Tambora, West Jakarta, have complained about brawls between groups of teenagers that occur up to two or three times a week and are urging the authorities to increase patrols and build a permanent police post to suppress the incidents.
A resident and parking attendant at a local minimarket, Tatang (59), said the brawls generally involve youth groups from the Krendang and Duri areas. “It can happen two to three times a week, the kids from Krendang and Duri brawling. There is actually no trigger, they just clap their hands looking for a fight,” Tatang said when met on Wednesday.
According to Tatang, the brawls usually start with the groups seeking each other out not far from the crime scene. He believes both sides already know each other’s schedules for fighting. “They don’t use social media; essentially, they have their own schedule. They come to the railway tracks, clap their hands, and then they all come out at each other,” he explained.
He mentioned that brawls at the location most often occur on weekends, especially from Saturday to the early hours of Sunday. However, Tatang noted that clashes also frequently happen on Monday nights. “It’s often Saturday, Sunday night, but sometimes Monday night too. The time is uncertain; sometimes when residents are still about at midnight, they’ve already started,” Tatang said.
He even revealed that a brawl a few days ago resulted in a fatality. From reports he received, a teenager aged around 17 to 18 from RW 9, Duri, died after suffering slash wounds during the fight. “Just last week, a kid from RW 9, Duri sub-district, was slashed. He was about 17 or 18 years old, and he died at the scene,” Tatang stated.
Tatang added that the group criminal activity often damages the carts belonging to local traders. “It disturbs the community too; there are lots of broken glass bottles here. Many traders’ carts are destroyed. Shops are usually fine because they are already closed,” he said.
He hopes the security forces can increase routine patrols during vulnerable hours, especially between midnight and 3 a.m. Western Indonesia Time. He also proposed the construction of a permanent police post in the Jalan Jembatan Besi area, which is considered a hotspot for brawls. “From midnight to 3 a.m., it must be controlled frequently. Please also build a police post in this area. I am sure if there is a police post, they won’t dare to brawl,” he said.
According to him, the presence of a police post was once proven effective in suppressing brawls in the area near the river at Season City. He said that after a police post was established there, the brawls that previously occurred frequently were no longer seen. “I am certain that if there is a police post, they won’t dare. This has been tested in the Season City area by the river. Previously they brawled there, then a police post was set up and they no longer dared to brawl there,” he said.