Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – Three days after the National Police declared its war against thugs, questions still remain as to whether the operation will give residents more peace or not.
So far, nearly a thousand alleged street thugs have been taken off the streets of main cities throughout the country and brought in to police headquarters.
Some have been released, some stay. To decide who goes and who cannot, the police need cooperation from residents to testify whether a suspected thug causes unrest among the neighborhood or not.
Some interviewed residents, however, said Thursday they were reluctant to testify against the arrested thugs because they were still in the dark about the police's promise to protect witnesses.
"Who will guarantee my life if I decide to testify against these thugs? Maybe I will be safe for the moment, but what will happen when they are back on the street? Will the police still be able to protect me then?" Kelly, a resident who owns a small cafeteria in West Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
She said the police should come up with a witness protection program. "Maybe I could participate further in the investigation process," she said.
A 2006 law on witness protection stipulates that law enforcers have to provide witnesses with proper protection when needed. However, many doubt the law's effectiveness.
Denny, another West Jakarta resident, said he shared the same hesitation, adding that some police officer had actually turned out to be the masterminds behind street crimes.
"It is already public knowledge that these thugs give a large proportion of their money to corrupt police officers. I don't know who to trust," he said.
He said he was skeptical about the police's efforts, saying the operation would be just as ineffective as past police operations. "If they were serious, they would start by arresting the big guys first, who operate the thugs, and not just pick street thugs off the streets," he said.
West Jakarta Police crime detective unit head Comr. Suyudi Arioseto said the police had not turned a blind eye to witness protection.
"Don't be afraid. We guarantee the safety of witnesses at any price. I will order my subordinates to personally guard a witness if he or she wants us to," he said. The testimonies will help police jail thugs threatening residents' right to a peaceful life, he said.
"Filing a report does not help us completely. So if the residents want to see the thugs jailed, they have to testify against the thugs later on," he added.
He said there was always a possibility that some corrupt officers were involved in the crimes. "Once we find out, we will expose these corrupt officers to the press and punish them even harder."
As many as 242 alleged street thugs were brought to West Jakarta Police headquarters Thursday for further questioning. Police caught one red-handed carrying a dagger, while the remaining suspects claimed innocence, saying they were brought to police headquarters for not showing their ID cards to police officers. On the same day, Bekasi Police arrested 152 alleged thugs.
Bekasi Police chief Sr. Comr. Mas Guntur Laupe said they detained 17 of them as suspects and released the remaining 135, as reported by kompas.com.
According to local media Warta Kota, police officers arrested a woman, identified as Lidia, at Kampung Melayu bus terminal in Jatinegara, East Jakarta. Lidia said she was arrested even though she showed her ID card to the police. Besides Lidia, the police officers netted a number of street musicians.