Shortage of security staff cause of rampant train crimes: KAI

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

State railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia has blamed a shortage of security personnel for rampant acts of vandalism and crime on trains and supporting facilities.

First. Insp. Sabadan, the head of Cirebon railway police, said recently that his unit had only seven men, which he claims is inadequate given the vast area under the unit's responsibility.

The unit is responsible for the safety of passengers in the northern zone stretching from Tanjung Rasa Station in Karawang regency, West Java to Brebes Station in Central Java, and the southern zone spans to Prupuk Station in Tegal, Central Java. There are 34 stations overseen by the Cirebon operational division, consisting of two major, seven regular and 25 small stations located along the routes. Rail travel is a popular and cheap mode of transportation, especially for tourists or for those visiting areas that do not have airports.

Crimes included theft of railway track and signal cable at railway warehouses, smashing of windows on passing trains and graffiti on the walls of carriages. Other common criminal acts included extortion and theft. The perpetrators usually pretended to be singing beggars, floor sweepers, or food and souvenir vendors, who pass through carriages continuously throughout the train journey.

Sabadan said that the Cirebon operational division operates six trains; five Cirebon Express executive trains and one Tegal Arum economy train. "The number of men is just not enough if we assign them to the stations or other railway facilities," said Sabadan.

Sabadan said that all trains, consisting of six to 12 carriages, were now escorted by two Polsuska (Special Railway Police) officers.

"Each train should be guarded by at least four officers," he said. To protect passengers from crimes, Sabadan added that the railway police unit would conduct routine and large-scale raids on criminal suspects and thugs.

The railway police detained at least 30 thugs who were pretending to be beggars or floor sweepers in the Cirebon station compound and on board a train in a series of raids on Thursday. "Some of them said that they were food and souvenir vendors. But after interrogating them, most could not show their identity cards or permission letters from the station. Legal vendors or cleaning service workers are usually provided with some sort of authorization letters from the operational division," said Sabadan.

"They were operating in groups of three or four when we caught them. They usually steal passengers' belongings when they are unaware or asleep. Besides that, they also extort money from passengers using sharp weapons," he said.

The thugs usually act when the train is approaching the Haurgeulis area in Indramayu regency. The quiet location, far from activity, is a dangerous area favored by the thugs.

"The place is located exactly in the middle of a vast rice plantation area that is very quiet and they have ample time to commit their crimes," said Sabadan.

According to Sabadan, the biggest criminal case the Cirebon Railway police have handled was when a woman was thrown out of a moving train in Indramayu, after her belongings were seized by a gang of thugs.

The woman, believed to be a returning immigrant worker, survived the ordeal although she sustained some serious wounds. All of her valuables were stolen.

Meanwhile, a spokesman from the Cirebon operational division, Suhartono, acknowledged that the limited number of security personnel was the main obstacle in securing various strategic railway facilities and passengers from crime.

To overcome the limitation, PT KAI regularly coordinates with the police to obtain additional numbers of personnel.