To ensure security for the 2018 Asian Games, which will see thousands of international athletes and officials descend upon the Indonesian capital, Jakarta Police chief Inspector-General Idham Azis has instructed officers to shoot criminals on sight to fend off street crime, particularly motorcycle thieves and muggers.
“If the muggers fight back (when police officers try to arrest them), chief Idham has instructed us to take firm action by shooting them. (We will have) zero tolerance,” Jakarta Police spokesman Senior Commander Argo Yuwono said on Tuesday, July 3.
Argo recalled a recent mugging attempt that took place in the Kota Tua area in West Jakarta, when one of the perpetrators, identified as R, was shot dead by officers.
According to the police, the victim, Public Housing and Works Ministry official Syarif Burhanudin, was riding his bicycle when R reportedly grabbed his fanny pack. Syarif tried to hold on to his bag and fell to the ground.
The police later tracked down R and his partner, but both allegedly fought back during their arrest. R was fatally shot and his accomplice was arrested.
Following that incident, investigators discovered that the two had been part of a network of muggers called Tenda Oranye (Orange Tent) based in Teluk Gong, North Jakarta.
Another robbery that took place on Sunday evening in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, ended in the death of the victim.
The woman, identified as W, was on the back of a motorcycle taxi and reportedly held on to her bag as it was being pulled by a man on a motorbike. She then fell, fatally hitting her head on the road.
Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno said the recent spate of mugging attempts across the city should be taken seriously.
“These crimes might be triggered by poverty. This is a social phenomenon that can be solved by giving poor families access to ways that can improve their economic situations,” he said.
Source: Straits Times
Photo courtesy of ANTARA/M Risyal Hidayat