Panca Nugraha and Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Mataram/Yogyakarta | Thu, 12/24/2009 9:28 AM
The high frequency of motorcycle theft in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has been blamed on an easy credit system in the province.
In the provincial capital of Mataram alone, an average of 1,800 new motorbikes are sold monthly, according to data at the Mataram Police’s One-Stop Administration Unit office.
“The easy credit system for purchasing motorbikes has been blamed for the phenomenon,” head of the office Nurmawan told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, adding the monthly provincial figure could be more than three times more the normal rate.
He said the increase in the number of motorbikes in Mataram was much higher than four-wheeled vehicles, which reached only about 90 units a month. The total number of motorized vehicles in the municipality, he added, was 156,000.
In line with the increase, the NTB Police, which oversee Lombok and Sumbawa has recorded 247 cases of motorized vehicles theft over the last two months, causing a total financial loss of about Rp 2.3 billion.
“Motorized vehicle theft has indeed been on the rise for the last two months,” said the head of the police’s subdivision of publication and public relations, Adj. Comr. Lalu Wirajaya.
Lalu said the most popular mode of theft involved using the T key. He called on people to be more cautious and suggested they use additional security locks other than built-in handlebars.
“If possible use an alarm,” said Lalu, adding that all reported theft was investigated.
He also admitted the new credit scheme had significantly increased the number of motorcycles in the province and had contributed to the increase in motorcycle theft.
“The fact that almost 80 percent of reported thefts are of new edition motorbikes proves this,” he added.
Separately in Bantul, Yogyakarta, a lack of traffic signs and traffic lights has lead to the high rate of traffic accidents in the regency.
As of September this year, 1,254 traffic accidents have been reported, killing 40 people and injuring 2,180 others.
Head of Bantul Police’s Traffic Unit Adj. Comr. Catur Gatot Effendi, however, said Tuesday the figure was 10 percent lower than the previous year.
He added that apart from the lack of traffic lights and signs, riders failing to observe road rules also contributed to the high number of accidents. In many cases, he said, riders did not wear safety equipment, rode at high speeds and ignored traffic signs.
To help reduce the high number of traffic accidents, he said, his office would work together with other institutions to educate the public about riding safely and woud also discuss damaged transportation infrastructure and a lack of traffic signs with other related institutions.
“We will also deploy traffic lights to sites prone to accidents,” he said.
“We expect that in 2010 all crossroads will have traffic lights so that traffic accidents can be minimized,” he added.
