Ainur Rohmah, Semarang – The Central Java Police have started intensifying raids on preman (local term for thugs), through all the police precincts in its jurisdiction but deny that the measure has been taken because of the recent attack on Cebongan Penitentiary that killed four detainees.

Central Java police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Djihartono said that the penitentiary attack by 11 members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in revenge for the killing of First Sgt. Heru Santoso did move the police to work quickly on thuggery but it was not the main reason why they intensified their war against thugs.

"Our actions are because of reports from the community, from our personnel and from other sources. In short, we will act firmly against criminals that cause unrest in society," Djihartono said in Semarang on Tuesday.

Djihartono said measures against thuggery would not only be carried out by implementing tough actions against them but as well by preventing thuggery from being committed and by enforcing the law by sending the perpetrators to court.

He predicted that the number of arrests that the police would make on thugs this year would not be less than that of last year.

In 2012, Central Java police conducted 76 raids during which they arrested 156 suspects. As of this month, the police have already conducted 22 raids and arrested 42 suspects. Of the suspects, 18 were sent for supervision, two were categorized as committing light crimes and two others were sent to court.

But it turns out that the raids somehow have netted the wrong people. Bruno, a street musician who was arrested during Tuesday afternoon's raid, was hysterical knowing that his wife, Yuli, was also among those netted during the raid.

Yuli usually took care of their 10 month old baby, but that afternoon she accompanied her husband, who was operating at Jl. Siliwangi traffic lights in West Semarang. Bruno blamed the police for not confirming his identity and that he had been wrongly arrested.

Meanwhile, Bakti Buwono, a resident who has been a victim of street thuggery, urged the police to seriously fight against it, saying that violence of any kind could not be tolerated. He said that he was beaten by two unidentified teenagers riding a motorcycle last month.

Bakti said that recently, thuggery had been really disturbing and threatening public security. He blamed law institutions for the condition, saying that they were the ones that were responsible for eradicating thuggery.

"If law enforcement is effective, people will think twice before committing violence. Now, people commit violence just for fun. Something must be wrong for this to happen," Bakti said.

Although he had reported the beating to the police, he said, the perpetrators had not yet been revealed. "How can the police be unable to find the perpetrators?" he said.

Separately, Central Java Buser, a group of people offering security services, has started reducing its negative image as a group considered close to practices of thuggery by organizing religious activities such as mass preaching and sport activities.

"With a religious touch, hopefully the bad image will eventually vanish while it also benefits our members and makes them more peaceful and comfortable living side by side in society," Buser chairman Wahyu Suragading said.

Wahyu said that the group's bad image had come from the fact that its members were bodyguards and thus created a sinister image. "In fact we are not like that," he said.

Established some three years ago, Buser currently has 300 members spread over 15 regencies/municipalities across Central Java.