City files report over shot fired by police officer

The management body of Trans-jakarta Bus Rapid Transit (BLU) filed a report with the Jakarta Police’s internal affairs division over a shooting incident involving a police officer and a Transjakarta official on Thursday.

BLU chief Muhammad Akbar said he condemned the incident and expected the police to quickly investigate the case.

“We filed the report immediately after the incident. We expect the police to take full legal measures in relation to this incident,” Akbar said.

BLU reported that the incident occurred at around 8:15 a.m. on Jl. Pramuka Raya in Central Jakarta
after a Transjakarta official prevented a vehicle with license number B 1071 TFV, belonging to security service provider PT Securicor Indonesia, from entering the exclusive busway lane.

An unidentified police officer traveling in the vehicle then got out and berated the Transjakarta official, identified as Rocky.

“The officer even threatened to kill Rocky,” Akbar said.

The police officer proceeded to point his rifle at Rocky and then, with the muzzle close to Rocky’s head, fired a shot into the air.

The Transjakarta official was later taken to hospital after complaining of hearing trouble in his left ear.

Akbar said that Transjakarta officials frequently received threats and insults from motorists while keeping the busway lanes free from other vehicles.

“But this incident is the worst so far. The shot by the officer was completely uncalled for,” he said.

In January last year, a man fired five shots at a Transjakarta bus that had blocked his way after it stopped at a bus shelter in Pluit, North Jakarta.

In 2009, a Transjakarta official was beaten while on duty on Jl. Mampang Prapatan in South Jakarta. The assault occurred after the official stopped a driver from using a busway lane on the heavily congested road. The attacker hit the official in the head with the butt of a gun, injuring him.

Except for emergency situations or for temporary traffic management, the busway lanes are exclusively for use by Transjakarta buses.

“Securicor trucks are not emergency vehicles. Our official was right to stop the vehicle,” Akbar said.

The BLU official urged the police to investigate the incident thoroughly and to properly punish the officer concerned in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.

There was no confirmation of the incident from the Jakarta Police.

In 2010, the Jakarta administration formed a 3,000-personnel task force in collaboration with the Jakarta Police, the Military and the City Transportation Agency in an attempt to curb the worsening traffic situation.

Among the task force’s main responsibilities is keeping private vehicles out of the Transjakarta lanes.