Jakarta – A total of 300 kilograms of nails spread intentionally on the roads in Central Jakarta was collected by the Sapu Bersih Ranjau (Saber) community from August to November last year.
The community voluntarily patrols regularly to remove nails from the streets.
"We have collected 300 kilograms of nails in Central Jakarta only, such as from Jl. Hasyim Ashari, Sawah Besar and around Pasar Senen," Saber coordinator Siswanto said during a patrol on Sunday.
"Thirty percent of the collected nails were found in front of the presidential palace," he said. Most of the nails collected are 3 to 5 centimeters long, he added.
"Every day, during the morning patrol, we collect at least 1 kilogram of nails, but on our night shift, we collect more than that," Siswanto said. Equipped with magnets on a long stick and flashlights, Saber volunteers patrol Central and West Jakarta from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
"West Jakarta has started to see fewer areas prone to nail traps, unlike in Central Jakarta," he said.
Another Saber volunteer, Rohim, said the members also sometimes patrolled around Pulogadung in East Jakarta.
The type of nail trap in East Jakarta is often made from pieces of umbrella spokes, Rohim said. Saber believed that the perpetrators were roadside tire-repair men who regularly put nails on roads to stimulate their business.
Saber community currently has 11 members of various backgrounds, such as ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers, private employees and street sweepers.
The head of security and safety at the Jakarta Traffic Police, Adj. Comr. Yakub Dedy Karyawan, said traffic police officers across the city also conducted similar operations to clean the streets of nails every day.
He said the Jakarta Police also had one car designed specifically to remove nails from streets.
Yakub said there were two motives behind nail traps, as the perpetrators usually targeted motorcycle drivers and car owners during peak hours.
"The nails are usually placed by the perpetrators on the street at dawn around 3 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. and before dusk," he told The Jakarta Post.
"When motorcyclists are in a rush for work or home, this ploy is usually used by tire-repair men to sell tires at a high price. While for cars the motive is purely criminal in that when victims pull over due to a flat tire, the perpetrators take the chance to steal valuables from the cars," he said.
Yakub advised road users to be cautious when passing areas prone to nail traps, including Jl. Raya Bekasi, Daan Mogot in West Jakarta, Jl. Majapahit in Central Jakarta, Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio in South Jakarta and Jl. Cakung-Cilincing Raya in North Jakarta.