Residents feel secure after hoodlums crackdown

Residents feel secure after hoodlums crackdown

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Residents, street vendors, public transportation drivers and
commuters in Tangerang stated that they are all overjoyed to see
peace in their surroundings following a series of police
crackdowns against petty criminals, whose behavior makes most
people feel insecure.

The local police are still carrying out the operation, and
have arrested many known criminals, while those who escaped the
raids have reportedly left the area.

Over the past two weeks, the police arrested a total of 159
men suspected to be involved in petty street crimes or public
drunkenness in separate places in Tangerang. Some 67 of the
suspects were nabbed while gambling on a cock fight on Jl. Sinar
Hati, Karawaci, 18 men were picked up at Perumnas I and Cibodas
bus terminal, 13 were arrested around Anyer market and Cimone, 5
were caught in Sangiang subdistrict and 56 others were arrested
in the latest operation at Malabar market and near the Kebon
Nanas toll gate.

Most of those who were arrested in public places were caught-
red handed either gambling, drinking liquor, extorting money,
carrying sharp weapons or failing to present proper identity
cards.

Tangerang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Wilardi Wizar said over
the weekend that the crackdown against hoodlums had received
strong support from all walks of life across the municipality.

"You're dead hoodlums. The police will get you and kill you
all," shouted a public minivan driver, while witnessing one of
the police operations.

Such spontaneous comments from the public is thought to
represent most citizens who are frustrated and frightened by the
thugs' actions. Most drivers said they felt powerless against the
hoodlums, who rarely hesitated to resort to violence if one
refused to give what was being asked from them.

The Jakarta Post spoke with a fried banana vendor, who echoed
the driver's sentiment while watching the police operation in
Cimone.

A similar attitude was also expressed by a young man who was
in the area.

However, Wilardi Wizar admitted that not all the hoodlums were
arrested in the police operation for a variety of reasons. He
added that there should be no compromise with anyone found
carrying weapons.

He also explained that the police had detained and legally
processed those with weapons, but freed several others after
giving them a stern warning not to cause further unrest.

Meanwhile, Gunawan, one of those arrested for carrying a sharp
weapon, promised to stop extorting money from minivan drivers,
adding that he carried a sharp weapon only to bluff
drivers who refused to pay up.

"Officers are right and extorting money is wrong. If I'm freed
later, I will try to find a job and will no longer cause any
trouble for the public," he told the Post from behind the police
bars.

The officer in charge of the operation Adj. Comr. Helfi
Assegaf, said that the police needed to take stern action against
hoodlums so that the public were encouraged to report any crime
they encountered to the police.

Nonetheless, the recent police action against hoodlums is not
without its critics. One of the freed detainees, Pram, said that
the police had mostly arrested the wrong men.

"I am not a hoodlum. I've never caused unrest to residents,"
he said, adding that he and several other fellow detainees were
just a group of men who work as drivers and vendors.

Commenting on the criticism, the police detective chief Insp.
Kustanto said that, the police also questioned many who work or
live in locations where crimes were prone to occur.

"In general, the roots of a crime begin from a small gathering
of loiterers. Therefore, we do not care, if we find them with
weapons, we arrest and process them according to the existing
law," he told the Post.