D

espite security threats shrouding the city over the past few months, residents are still reluctant to join in neighborhood watch systems, locally known as siskamling.

Citing busy working hours during weekdays, they would rather hand over the matter to hired professionals or local administrations.

Cati Nugraha Bilanguna, 26, who lives in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, said he was not interested in conducting midnight patrols around the neighborhood on weekdays as he had to prepare to go to work the next day.

“Maybe I will go on patrol on weekends, if there are any invitations or orders to do that,” he said.

He added that he preferred to hire professional security guards to guard his neighborhood. His neighborhood already has a security guard, who goes on patrol at midnight.

“It will provide jobs for people. I think it will be good as long as we pay them properly,” Cati said.

Residents can support the hired guards by providing them meals every night, he went on to say. “It might make the guards happier as they will receive various meals every day.”

Siskamling, which the New Order regime initiated in 1981, requires residents to participate in security measures through midnight patrols around the neighborhood. The system is coordinated by a hansip (local security guard).

The capital was recently rocked by suicide bombings at the Kampung Melayu bus station in East Jakarta. Five people were killed in the attack and 11 others were injured.

A string of violent thefts by motorcyle gangs have also haunted motorists of late. The gangsters carry sharp weapons and firearms and behave ruthlessly toward their victims.

The latest case involves Italia Chandra Kirana Putri, a university student who was recently shot in the chest while trying to fend off robbers from her home in Tangerang, Banten.

Recently, the South Jakarta administration advised its residents to reactivate and increase community patrols in their neighborhoods.

Mayor Tri Kurniadi said community patrols would help maintain security amid escalating security threats across the capital.

Gita Marino, 29, a resident of Karang Tengah, South Jakarta, said he might accept invitations for midnight patrols if they came from fellow residents, but would reject invitations that came from officials in community units.

“They should be the one who provide us with security. They should be able to give their citizens a feeling of safety,” he said.

Gita said he was satisfied with the security features currently provided by his neighborhood.

The features include, but are not limited to, security guards that conduct patrols around the neighborhood.

“I am grateful that I can live in such a neighborhood where we can provide our own professional security measures. We can just pay for the routine security fees and organize the security system here,” Gita said.

Linda Darmajanti, a sociologist from the University of Indonesia, said siskamling might be irrelevant for upper-middle income Jakartans who were able to pay for security measures in their neighborhood.

“It might be more suitable for people living in lower to lower-middle residential areas who can’t afford security guards. They have to apply these amateur systems to secure their neighborhoods,” Linda said.

She added that cities could use technologies to expand security.

“Jakarta can learn from Surabaya, which has installed several security cameras in strategic places. Such a system has helped reduce criminal activity in the city.” (kuk)