Thugs apprehended in crime-prone areas
Thugs apprehended in crime-prone areas
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
For years the Cocacola intersection, between Central and East
Jakarta has been a feared area due to the presence of a gang
known as Kapak Merah (red axe) that robbed motorists, even in
broad daylight, smashing car windows with an axe.
"Every day I pass the Cocacola intersection on my way to the
office and each time I am worried that the thugs will harass me,
or even rob me," said Husin, 37, a resident of Cempaka Putih,
East Jakarta.
He felt relieved knowing that the police had arrested several
people who used to be seen around the intersection over the
weekend in the city's intensive crackdown on thuggery and
lawlessness.
"I hope no more thugs are seen or crimes take place at the
intersection after the arrests," he told The Jakarta Post.
In East Jakarta alone, the police had detained 12 thugs from
the Cocacola intersection, 13 in Cawang, 54 in Pulogadung, and 32
thugs in several other places known as crime-prone areas.
They confiscated dozens of sharp weapons, several guns, drugs,
hundreds of pirated CDs, and gambling machines.
City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said over the weekend
that some of them were caught extorting pedestrians and
passengers, others were nabbed for carrying weapons, gambling and
drinking.
"We have processed them. Some were handed over to the Ministry
of Social Affairs for rehabilitation while others, who were
caught committing crimes, were detained in the respective police
subprecincts and precincts," Tjiptono told the Post.
Tjiptono said that police had arrested dozens of other thugs
in many other areas.
"The number of thugs arrested could be much higher in the days
to come as we have not received a report from West Jakarta, North
Jakarta, Central Jakarta, South Jakarta, Tangerang and Bekasi
precincts yet," he said.
The police operation to eradicate thugs in the capital, or
Sarutama, will last for one month.
The operation was launched after President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono ordered National Police chief Gen. Sutanto and
provincial administrations across the country to crack down thugs
earlier this month as the President received many text messages
complaining about the presence of thugs.
Over a thousand thugs across the capital have been arrested in
the last 12 days.
Tjiptono said that he believed that the massive arrests would
reduce the number of thugs, and would at the very least deter
others.
"We will evaluate the result of the operation late next month
based on input from the public. We hope there will be no more
complaints after that. But if we still receive many complaints,
we will continue the operation," he said.
Tjiptono encouraged people who had any problems with thugs to
send a text message to the cellular phone toll-free number 1717.