T

he North Sumatra Police have instructed every police precinct in the province to increase patrols following several cases of bag snatches targeting foreign tourists in the province'€™s capital, Medan.

Based on Medan Police records, as of mid-November eight tourists had fallen victim to bag-snatching or robbery in Medan. In one incident the victim died.

The latest incident took place on Nov. 17, when a tourist from India identified as Fishwakarma, aka Arcarna, 40, was robbed by thieves as he crossed the road from his hotel to the Palladium Mall.

The victim, whose ATM card and gold chain were stolen, sustained injuries to his head as he attempted to protect his property.

Previously, two visitors from Germany, identified as Carmel Weeg, 23, and her brother Hald, 21, were robbed on Jl. Palang Merah. They lost a number of belongings in the robbery, including a cell phone and passports.

Prior to that, a Taiwanese tourist named Chen Li, 32, had Rp 3 million (US$272) stolen as he traveled on a motorized pedicab on Jl. Palang Merah, while Australian tourist Jessica Clare Cumberland, 20, lost her passport and other belongings to thieves on Jl. Sisingamangaraja.

A couple from Belgium, identified only as Christophe, 38, and Cindy, 31, were robbed near the Al Maksum Grand Mosque, also on Jl. Sisingamangaraja.

In February, a man snatched a bag from Singaporean Lydia Koh Wee Lie, who later died from a head injury she received when, in the course of the robbery, she was knocked to the ground.

Meanwhile, in 2012, the police recorded two cases of tourists being robbed. Two Britons were robbed at the Medan Mall, while an Australian was robbed of $500 by two men after shopping on Jl. Sumatera.

Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Nico Afinta said that so far the police had arrested five suspects for their alleged involvement in the bag-snatching incidents.

He said that the police would focus 24-hour patrols on 13 crime -prone areas across the city.

Despite the bag-snatching incidents, Nico reassured the public that Medan was still safe for foreign tourists.

Separately, North Sumatra Police chief spokesman Comr. Heru Prakoso acknowledged that despite increased patrols, due to the limited number of personnel, crimes continued to take place, especially in crime-infested areas.

'€œWe will intensify patrols in all police precincts, especially during high-risk times to curb the number of crimes,'€ Heru said on Tuesday.

He added that the crime-prone areas in North Sumatra included Medan, especially the port area of Belawan, and Serdang Bedagai, Simalungun, Labuhan Batu and Asahan regencies. According to Heru, the crime rates in those six areas were very high compared to other areas in the province.

'€œPolice have just completed Operation Sikat in those six areas and arrested 19 suspects included on the police wanted list,'€ said Heru.

Heru added that Operation Sikat was conducted for 15 days from Oct. 31 to Nov. 14.

Acting chief of detectives with Medan Baru Police, First Insp. Alexander Piliang, said during patrols police were equipped with radio communications to oversee foreigners within his jurisdiction.

'€œWe always coordinate with officers on the ground to watch over foreign visitors in our jurisdiction,'€ he said, adding that his force would immediately contact field officers to pursue suspects who targeted foreign tourists upon receipt of information.

According to the North Sumatra Tourism Agency, almost 160,000 foreign tourists visited the province between January and August this year, while the number of foreign visitors in 2012 stood at over 240,000.