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police watchdog group says the Jakarta Police are responsible for the spate of violence involving biker gangs in the capital that has left at least three people dead and 15 injured.

“Police inaction on the existence of motorcycle gangs has triggered social conflicts and vigilante acts, such as happened on Friday,” Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) chairman Neta S. Pane said, referring to one person who was slain and the eight injured in seven different incidents in North and Central Jakarta on Friday.

Neta urged the police to maintain continuous patrols in areas favored by the gangs for street races.

“Without proper and sustainable efforts to tackle this situation, it is not impossible that more serious conflicts will occur.”

According to the IPW, there have been 80 spots in Greater Jakarta favored by biker gangs for drag racing in 2012, up 300 percent from 20 spots in 2009.

The spots include Warung Buncit, Jl. Asia Afrika and Pondok Indah in South Jakarta; Rawa Panjang in Bekasi; Kemayoran and Jl. Pramuka in Central Jakarta; and Klender in East Jakarta.

The IPW also recorded that 65 people died in street races in 2011, compared to 62 who died in 2010 and 68 in 2009.

“They died either in accidents during the races or in brawls between each other,” Neta said.

In the latest such incident, two teenagers died in a stunt gone wrong during a street race in Bogor, south of Jakarta, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The bikers, Rizki Maulana, 15, and Zulfikar, 17, collided with each other at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday at Jl. Suryakencana in Bogor. Rizki reportedly rode his bike against the flow of traffic before hitting Zulfikar, who came from the other direction.

Neta concurred that most street racers in Jakarta were teenagers between 14 and 22.

“Many of them will engage in betting during the races, with the bets ranging from Rp 100,000 [US$10.90] to as large as Rp 25 million.”

Separately, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto told reporters on Sunday that an order has been issued to all police commands under the jurisdiction of the Jakarta Police to conduct nightly patrols of areas often used by biker gangs to hold drag races.

The Jakarta Police oversee the police forces of all five of the capital’s municipalities, as well as areas in nearby satellite cities such as Bekasi and Depok, West Java, and Tangerang, Banten, as well as Thousand Islands Regency.

“Every police command will deploy 100 officers in the nightly patrols,” Rikwanto said, adding that the Indonesian Military (TNI) would send Military Police officers and members assigned to local military units to join the patrols following reports that Navy sailors were involved in the incidents.

Rikwanto denied allegations that the children of police officers were involved in the violence.

Three died and at least 15 others were injured in four brutal assaults in the capital in the past 17 days.

First Seaman Arifin Sirih was attacked and killed in a brawl in Pademangan, North Jakarta, on March 31. Another death followed seven days later in Tanjung Priok, also in North Jakarta.

Soleh died after suffering a deep stab wound to his abdomen. The 17-year-old, his brother and two friends were assaulted at a gas station while waiting to refuel their motorcycles.

Another attack, reportedly involving hundreds of biker-gang members, claimed the life of Anggi Darmawan and injured several others in the early hours of Friday.

The gang also vandalized a 7-Eleven convenience store before attacking three other customers in the store.

The police have detained one suspect in connection with the attacks.

University student JRR, 22, was arrested at his house in Koja, North Jakarta, on April 9, for allegedly taking part in killing Arifin.

JRR has been charged with forceful attack under the Criminal Code, which carries a penalty of up to 12 years’ imprisonment, and with assault, which has a maximum sentence of 7 years’ imprisonment.

Meanwhile, a similar wave of violence has struck another city in the archipelago more than 1,400 kilometers away from the capital.

A Makassar State University student identified as Ibrahim Samsari, 21, died after he was brutally beaten by a biker gang on Saturday night on Jl. Sungai Saddang in the South Sulawesi capital.

Ibrahim reportedly died from an intercranial hemorrhage.

The Makassar Police have arrested 13 individuals in connection with the case, one of whom was reportedly an 11-year-old boy.

Seven of the detainees have already been named suspects. The police have also confiscated four motorcycles, three arrows, and two slingshots as evidence.

The suspects have also been charged with forceful attack under the Criminal Code.