COVID-19: Indonesian police deny higher crime rate solely due to release of prisoners to curb outbreak
JAKARTA: Indonesian housewife Lila Kusumah, 37, is worried about her family's safety after seve..
JAKARTA: Indonesian housewife Lila Kusumah, 37, is worried about her family's safety after several houses nearby were said to have been robbed this month.
The security guards in her neighbourhood in South Tangerang, on the outskirts of Jakarta, claimed that about 10 people have been arrested.
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Residents were also told that the alleged perpetrators were among the 38,000 convicts released from overcrowded jails nationwide in early April to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Upon hearing these, Mdm Kusumah is taking extra precautions to safeguard her house.
“At night I used to ask my eldest son to lock the gate, but now I do it myself to be really sure it is locked tightly,” she said.
“Im now very vigilant. Every time I have to go out (on my motorbike), I always look at the rear view mirrors to make sure no one is following me."
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READ: Cooped up in small homes and lacking awareness, Jakartas urban poor find it tough amid partial lockdown
Early last week, Indonesias national police spokesman Grand Commissioner Asep Adi Saputra said there had been an 11.8 per cent increase in crime rate in the country during the first two weeks of April.
“In week 15 (of 2020) there were 3,423 cases and in week 16, there were 3,827 cases,” he told CNA.
Crimes committed were largely theft such as motor vehicle theft.
An Indonesian police riot control vehicle sprays disinfectant amid the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Surabaya on Mar 30, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
Another police spokesman Brigadier General Argo Yuwono revealed on Tuesday (Apr 21) in a press conference that 28 ex-convicts have committed crimes after their release, although he clarified the next day that not all of them were recently released from jail this month.
He added that the police have taken preventive measures such as patrolling and guarding certain areas to deter crime.
However, the police said the release of prisoners is not the only factor contributing to the higher crime rate. At the meantime, non-governmental organisations also urged the government to look into ensuring social support for these ex-convicts, so that they do not return to the path of crime while trying to fend for themselves.
EX-CONVICTS NOT THE ONLY FACTOR FOR INCREASE IN CRIME: POLICE
The government has granted the early release of about 38,000 convicts as of Apr 28 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in overcrowded prisons in Indonesia.
Only those who committed general crimes and juvenile inmates who have served at least two-thirds of their sentence were set free.
In capital Jakarta, about 2,000 prisoners were discharged.
The Indonesian police have acknowledged that the release of these convicts may have led to the increasing crime rate, but stressed it is not the only contributing factor.
“The rise and fall of crimes are influenced by many important factors. The prevention and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia do not only have an impact on formal workers but also informal workers … especially those who have lost their income,” said the head of the national police security maintenance agency Commissioner General Agus Andrianto.
An Indonesian police officer wearing a COVID-19 themed helmet conducts a campaign and disinfects motorists' vehicles in Mojokerto, East Java on Apr 3, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
He noted that it is especially important for social aid to be distributed quickly to ensure the livelihood of everyone, not just former convicts.
“There are also people who take advantage of the situation when all are focused on handling the spread of COVID-19,” Commissioner General Andrianto said.
READ: Why Indonesia has the highest COVID-19 fatality rate in Asia
He added that to prevent crime, the police are also educating people on how to spend their time at home and coordinating with local head villagers to create work programmes. The police also encourage people who are not economically affected by the pandemic to help those who cannot fulfil their basic needs.
To ensure that they do not turn to crime again, authorities are using online methods to guide and supervise them, said Andika Dwi Prasetya, head of the correction facilities of the Law and Human Rights Ministry for the Jakarta region.
The ex-convicts and their family members must be contactable any time, Mr Prasetya explained.
“If we lose contact with them, our officers from the correctional centres will immediately go to their places of residence,” he told CNA.
Indonesian inmates at a Jakarta prison talk via video to family members after visits were stopped because of coronavirus fears. Authorities have now gone further, and are releasing tens of thousands of prisoners in a bid to stop the spread of the virus in overcrowded jails AFP/HANDOUT
The department also liaised with relevant parties such as the police to help supervise the former prisoners.Authorities are cautious and firm, Mr Prasetya added.
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“If they do commit crime again we will send them back to jail to serve their remaining sentence, and there will be a tougher sentence.
“Of course we will also process the new crime,” Mr Prasetya said.
He hoped the public understand the government's purpose of releasing the inmates amid the COVID-19 outbreak. If people chance upon these ex-convicts committing crime, they should immediately inform the ministry's office in their respective neighbourhoods, he added.
ENSURE ACCESS TO SOCIAL SUPPORT
Mdm Lies Marcoes, the director of Rumah Kitab, a non-governmental organisation focusing on research and advocacy for minority and marginalised groups, said even under normal circumstances, crime prevention efforts need to address the root causes such as social inequality.
“Now in the abnormal situation due to COVID-19, extra measures are needed. Law enforceRead More – Source
