Rising Mugging Incidents Prompt DKI Legislator to Urge Greater Municipal Attention to Residents' Safety
DKI Jakarta DPRD member Hardiyanto Kenneth stated that the rampant muggings and snatch thefts occurring in West Jakarta are highly disturbing, urging the government to pay greater attention to residents’ security.
“West Jakarta is currently facing a serious security issue. Almost every week, the public hears about snatch thefts, muggings, and street violence incidents that make residents afraid to go about their activities, especially at night and in the early hours,” said Kenneth in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Kent, as he is familiarly known, assessed that the situation can no longer be regarded as ordinary criminal acts that can be handled merely through brief patrols or responses after cases go viral on social media.
According to him, street crime issues cannot be entirely shouldered by the police. The city government is also seen to have a major responsibility in creating a sense of security through area supervision, street lighting, activation of CCTV, and coordination with neighbourhood units (RT/RW) and community leaders.
“This must serve as a loud alarm for the West Jakarta City Government to be more ‘aware’ and more serious in reading the on-the-ground situation,” he said.
Kent urged the West Jakarta city government to take action without waiting for fatalities or major cases before mounting a massive response. The West Jakarta city government should immediately map high-risk points, ensure street lights are functioning, CCTV is active, dark areas are not neglected, and neighbourhood patrols are truly operational.
Kent also highlighted several brutal criminal acts that occurred in West Jakarta in recent days. One of them involved a student who became a mugging victim in front of Grogol Station, West Jakarta, on Thursday (7/5) around 9:00 p.m. WIB.
The victim, who had just returned from school activities, was cornered by the perpetrators until his Honda ADV motorcycle and iPhone were seized. The victim also suffered assault and required treatment at Sumber Waras Hospital.
Another sadistic mugging occurred on South Arjuna Street, Palmerah, West Jakarta, some time ago. Based on a viral video circulating, the victim was slashed with a sharp weapon, a cleaver type, until he fell into a ditch.
In the recording, two perpetrators on a motorcycle approached the victim. One perpetrator who got off the motorcycle immediately swung the sharp weapon towards the victim.
Not only that, a snatch theft also took place in the Mangga Besar 4 M area, Taman Sari, West Jakarta, on Sunday (3/5).
The victim, who was about to go to church, became the target of four perpetrators suspected of carrying sickles. After seizing the victim’s gold necklace, the perpetrators immediately fled and escaped from residents’ pursuit.
Kent assessed that the prevalence of these criminal acts indicates gaps in supervision that must be immediately addressed by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government and the West Jakarta City Government.
“If the public is already afraid to return home at night, afraid to ride a motorcycle alone, afraid to walk in their residential neighbourhood, it means something is wrong with our supervision system. The West Jakarta city government should not only focus on ceremonial activities but must be more sensitive to the daily concerns of residents,” he added.
In addition to requesting routine joint operations and the establishment of monitoring posts at high-risk points, Kent also urged periodic evaluations of crime rates in West Jakarta.
“Public security is a priority. The West Jakarta city government must be more caring, more responsive, and quicker to act before public trust in safety in DKI Jakarta and West Jakarta city further declines,” said the Commission C member.