Robberies in Jakarta

Robberies in Jakarta

From Warta Kota

The electronic and print media have been repeatedly reporting
the occurrence of bank robberies in Jakarta, in particular those
involving large amounts of cash being carried by bank customers
when leaving the bank.

From my observations, the police have not been able to deal
with these bank robberies in a satisfactory manner. I even have
the impression that the criminals are already aware of the
police's weakness in this particular area so that they repeat a
similar modus operandi in several other places within a
reasonably short time.

Yes, I must admit that not all robberies are caused by the
poor or weak performance of the police. I think the victims of
such attacks also contribute to the problem. For example, when
they need to carry large amounts of cash, they are reluctant to
ask for police protection (do they not trust the police very
much?) or they simply fail to avail of the bank's security
facilities.

On the other hand, the bank security staff along with the
police deployed to protect banks, have been doing their job well.
For example, not long ago a policeman sacrificed his own life
when he bravely took on a group of bank robbers. We have also
heard of extraordinary performances by the police in some other
criminal cases.

However, it would appear that these examples are the exception
rather than the rule because, upon careful examination, we will
see that, in general, the police have not yet been able to manage
bank security professionally. There have been no plans and no
systems or intensive campaigns relating to professional bank
security through excellent patterns of public relations.

A good police performance will not only make the public feel
safer and more comfortable but will also begin to restore public
confidence in the police to the level where it was a few years
ago, and in law enforcement, which up to now has been very poor.

DION PRASETYO

Jakarta