R

esidents in South Jakarta are worried about security and peace in their neighborhood, following the municipality's plan to demolish 111 illegal boom gates early this month.

Jakarta Police and city administration also said although boom gates would be removed, security would still ultimately remain in the hands of communities. Both said they did not have any special programs to enhance security despite the high rate of car theft in South Jakarta as well as other parts of the capital.

"Boom gates do not always guarantee residents' security. People can still feel protected without boom gates if they organize the right security system in their own community," city police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Chrysnanda Dwi Laksana told The Jakarta Post recently.

Middle-class to more affluent neighborhoods erected boom gates to filter visitors, hoping to curb burglaries and reduce the number of vehicles driving through their residential areas.

"Pondok Indah residents are taxpayers. However, the government has not yet provided them with adequate security. The residents took the initiative to erect boom gates at their own cost, for their own security," said deputy head of Pondok Pinang sub district Suhanto. Pondok Indah belongs to the Pondok Pinang subdistrict.

Scavengers, thieves and burglars have also been a major problem in those areas.

"These boom gates protect residents and give them better security. We didn't have these gates before the 1998 riots, but the crime rate has gone up since," said security officer of a neighborhood unit in Pondok Indah Edy Gunawan.

He also said traffic jams in Ciputat areas made drivers seek new routes to avoid getting stuck in bottlenecks.

"People move to Pondok Indah areas to be more comfortable and avoid traffic. If the gates are torn down, more cars will go through the area, including public transportation," he said.

Children frequently played on the gate-protected roads. If the gates are demolished, it would be dangerous for them, he said.

The city administration said boom gates make it difficult for firefighters and ambulances to get to their destination fast, but for Edy, it was not an issue.

"The security guards also give good directions to visitors."

Some Tebet residents use gates to stop heavy traffic from spreading into their neighborhood.

"We had to put boom gates up at the start of our streets, otherwise speeding cars and motorcycles would endanger the children playing in these streets," Yeni, a resident of Tebet said, as she watched her nephew run outside to play.

Tebet used to be a quiet residential areas until the main street became a spot laden with boutiques, restaurants and cafes where people dawdle the day away. The street is now constantly congested with cars and motorcycles.

To avoid the congestion, car drivers and motorcyclists have been taking detours around the small streets where Yeni lives.

"If we didn't have gates, cars and motorcycles would take over our streets," she said.

The gates also keep crime away, Yeni added.

"Once a thief snatched someone's belonging on the main street and escaped through our street. Putting up a gate means this won't happen again."

According to Asep, a security officer who has been patrolling the area for a year now, car thieves used to also roam the narrow streets before the gates blocked their routine.

"There were many crimes such as thieves breaking into houses," he said,

"Eventually, the local residents had to ask for gates."

Widodo, one of Tebet's neighborhood leaders, said residents had opted for boom gates after numerous discussions.

"The residents decided they wanted to block the entrances to their streets."

The city administration announced it planned to remove boom gates not only in South Jakarta but in all municipalities.

City secretary Muhayat said recently the city administration would make a list of all boom gates across the capital and decide which gates to remove.

"We might not remove all boom gates in every residential area. There will be some criteria and classification," he said.

He said all mayors would also disseminate this information to residents living in the areas where gates would be removed.

"If the residents do not agree *with gates being removed*, we will examine their reasons first, then we will decide whether to remove the gates in the area," he said.

He suggested residents tighten their security systems with community policing or siskamling.

"Those living in upmarket housing areas can use private security guards to secure their neighborhoods," said Muhayat.

Besides boom gates, the administration also plans to remove a number of speed-breakers on the roads, locally known as polisi tidur (sleeping policemen).

"We will remove those that are in city's main roads because their existence increase traffic jams," he said.

Eased traffic for some residents is a headache for others, however.