Ivany Atina Arbi, Jakarta – Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno has declared that the administration will take a hard stance in its fight against drug trafficking in the capital, including a "shoot to kill" policy for drug dealers that resist arrest.
"We are serious [in fighting drugs], we will '810' drug dealers who try to evade authorities' pursuit," Sandiaga recently said at City Hall, referring to the police code for shooting and killing a potential suspect that attempts to flee arrest.
He added that the administration had been cooperating with the Jakarta Narcotics Agency.
Amnesty International Indonesia recorded that at least 80 suspected drug dealers were shot dead this year by law enforcement personnel, a significant increase from 18 last year.
The growing number of shooting deaths by law enforcement has raised concerns that the country's fight against drugs could follow in the footsteps of the controversial anti-drug policy in the Philippines.
Amnesty International recorded that 7,000 people had been killed up to February 2017 in anti-drug operations in the Philippines, which has reportedly been tainted by many irregularities.