TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Army is deploying its soldiers to deal with the rampaging motorcycle robberies these days committed by assailants locally known as begal.
The 0507 Bekasi Military District Command (Kodim) has dispatched a platoon of soldiers to collect data of tenants of rented houses, including the types of their motorcycles, as part of its initial effort to stem the crime.
“Besides the Kodim area, each military sub-district command has also mobilized its personnel to take preventive measures across all districts,” Lt. Col. Yuda Rismansyah, the commander of Kodim 0507 Bekasi, told Tempo in his office on Monday, March 9, 2015.
Yuda said he also recruited civilians with ample knowledge of situations around their neighborhoods as intelligence sources to help the soldiers on the ground.
The operation was aimed at suspicious newcomers, Yudha added. “These begal operate using stolen motorbikes, so we have to keep an eye on those who regularly used different motorcycles in such a short time by collecting these data,” he explained.
Kodim Bekasi has also mapped out areas susceptible to begal—areas on Bekasi’s outskirts bordering with Bogor, Depok and Jakarta, such as Bantargebang, Jatiasih and Cibubur districts.
Separately, Bekasi City Police chief Sr. Comr. Rudi Setiawan said his personnel had rolled out regular, massive raids on vehicles. “Especially in begal-prone areas,” he said.
Rudi said begal cases had taken place twice in his jurisdiction: one in North Bekasi, with the assailants captured; and the other in Jatiasih, which was still under investigation.
HAMLUDDIN