The war against crime

The war against crime

Enough is enough. Badgered by a citizenry sick and tired of
the administration's apparent inability to protect it against a
crime rate that is rising in both level and brutality, Jakarta's
city administration has apparently lost its patience and last
week officially declared war against criminals.

"The concept is easy. Let's fight hoodlums together. That's
it," Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso declared. Sutiyoso, who is a
former Jakarta military commander, said the city police, the
Jakarta Military Command and city administration would help the
general public eradicate thuggery. This initiative would target
the area around traditional markets, nightspots and other areas
in the city where thugs normally operate, such as busy
crossroads, traffic lights along busy streets and bus and railway
stations.

Among the city's traditional markets and shopping areas
controlled by thugs, the most notable are Tanah Abang, Senen and
Pasar Baru in Central Jakarta; Blok M and Kebayoran Lama in South
Jakarta; Kramat Jati and Jatinegara in East Jakarta, and Glodok
in West Jakarta.

The city's five mayoralties, though -- Central, North, West,
East and South Jakarta respectively -- have reportedly already
taken stock of most of the places where thugs normally hang out.
These include 14 spots in Central Jakarta, 10 in North Jakarta,
15 in West Jakarta, 12 in East Jakarta and 12 in South Jakarta.

To show that this time around the authorities mean business,
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaeman made it known
that at least 800 police officers, assisted by some 1,900
civilian police assistants, known as Banpol, would be deployed in
a special operation against hoodlums.

After recently organizing raids against thugs at crossroads
and near traffic lights, the police are apparently planning to
focus their attention on specified markets, where they will be
operating in small groups. Mulyono warns that stern action will
be taken against thugs, and officers will be licensed to shoot
any of them who resist arrest "in self-defense".

Though declining to reveal when the operation would start,
Sutiyoso promised it would be launched "soon". The exact date, he
said, was being held secret in case the thugs simply shift their
operation elsewhere. This time, too, Governor Sutiyoso assured
citizens, the "war" against thugs and bandits will be waged
continuously until the city is free of thugs.

In all fairness it must be admitted that all this is progress
compared with the apparent official lethargy of past years. And
nobody can deny that it is high time that some drastic action
against thuggery is taken. Hardly a day goes by without a
newspaper report mentioning the killing of some taxi or ojek
(motorcycle taxi) driver.

Motorists are living in constant fear of being assaulted when
forced to stop at traffic lights at busy road intersections.
Drivers at night must be continually aware of the danger of nails
(to puncture tires) planted by hoodlums on the roads along which
they are traveling.

Everything Governor Sutiyoso and other city authorities have
said about fighting thugs in Jakarta is relevant and true. So why
then the utter cynicism with which the public has greeted their
announcement? The reason, of course, is Jakartans have heard it
all before. Still, although this time Jakarta's citizens are
guarded in their reaction to this news, they are hopeful that the
authorities will succeed at this attempt.

There is one danger, though, that this kind of situation
brings: a failure on the part of City Hall in its efforts this
time and to lose the "war" against crime could mean a serious
setback in the government's efforts to restore the public's
confidence in the law and its enforcement apparatus.

This is a risk that the authorities would do well not to
overlook. After all, the crime that is regularly committed in
Indonesia is for a good part the legacy of past times when
thuggery and violence were commonly used to guard the interests
of people with power. To be successful, waging a war against
individual criminals or even gangs is not enough. To a greater or
lesser degree, thuggery will always be with us as long as there
are people who seek to achieve their aims by extralegal means,
and this includes the use of intimidation, force or violence.