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mid the creeping sound of house trance music, Noldy Lengkong, 42, a security chief in one of West Jakarta’s most legendary nightclubs, was heavily occupied coordinating his on-duty personnel via a two-way radio.

Sitting behind a large wooden desk in his 30-square-meter office located next to the club entrance, Noldy warned his men to monitor every corner of the club and to take immediate measures against guests who were about to ignite trouble.

“As the night wears on, there will be more drunk guests who are easily provoked [into fights]. Even an accidental nudge can set them off,” said the former military police officer who now overseas 86 bouncers.

“That’s why it’s important to stand by near fight-prone areas, such as lounges and the dance floor, to calm such short-fused guests and prevent brawls.”

Having worked for the club for more than four years, Noldy said he never had any personal preferences when recruiting new personnel, apart from requiring his bouncer to have a minimum height of 170 centimeters and to be younger than 35.

“Their ethnic background just doesn’t count as long as they can work professionally, Javanese, Betawi, Ambonese or Flores men are all welcome,” said the father of four, who was born in Manado, North Sulawesi.

As the job is deemed a high-risk profession, Noldy says, most of the security personnel were employed as permanent workers, entitling them to annual holiday bonuses and other incentives outside of their basic salary.

Noldy, however, refused to disclose how much he earned every month, saying only that it was enough to make ends meet and to put his two children through university.

Younger and off-the-street bouncer Rhoma (not his real name), 22, a member of the South Jakarta branch of the ethnic group Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR), said working in security offered good prospects.

Unlike Noldy, Rhoma is more familiar working with businessmen who need “assistance” securing disputed land, guarding ongoing building construction or collecting debts.

Since joining the FBR three years ago, the father of one said he received an average of between Rp 50,000 (US$5.6) and Rp 100,000 per day from guarding disputed land from rival parties.

On certain occasions, Rhoma and fellow FBR members also receive orders from banks or leasing companies to “support” their debt collection in exchange for relatively higher fees.

He also recounted stories of how the FBR clashed with other ethnic groups, including from Ambon, Banten or Flores, when running their land “protection” services.

As the city houses both government and business activities, Jakarta has seen its economy developing rapidly in the past decades, attracting people from all over Indonesia struggling for a slice of the pie.

The endless urbanization, coupled with poverty and high levels of unemployment have inevitably turned the city into a conflict-prone zone where crime and thuggery become endless threats for local authorities and the public in general.

The situation has in turn created huge demand for security services, particularly for businesses.

Adrian Maelite, the chairman of the Association of Indonesian Entertainment and Recreation Center Entrepreneurs (PPRHU), said nightclub owners considered security an inseparable feature of their businesses.

Internal security personnel are usually employed in clubs assisted by local police who are responsible for securing the outside.

“Before the reform movement [in 1998], most of us paid ethnic gangs to secure every corner of our club. But today it’s much safer to cooperate with the police as they are now more concerned about eradicating thuggery and street crime,” Adrian said.

“A small number of entertainment centers still employ ethnic gangs to provide security. These groups, however, work independently and are not affiliated to their ethnic group at large,” Adrian said.

Adrian, who currently manages two discotheques, said he paid his security personnel an average of between Rp 2 million and Rp 5 million a month.

The association says Jakarta has more than 400 entertainment centers, including nightclubs, discotheques, bars, karaoke lounges and spa and massage parlors.

The Tamansari district in West Jakarta is home to 60 percent of these businesses, making it the nation’s biggest nightlife entertainment center.

Lured into the huge proceeds of the security and debt-collecting business is legislator Pius Lustrilanang of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).

Pius said he founded PT Brigass Tri Lanang Security in 1999 to provide professional and accountable security personnel.

“Sometimes it’s inevitable that our men engage in physical clashes with groups hired to disrupt our client’s business, especially during land disputes,” he said.

Brigass currently employs more than 500 personnel deployed to secure office buildings, factories and shopping malls in Greater Jakarta and several cities in West Java.

“Having a registered security company puts us in a strong legal position should rivals drag us to court [following any altercation].”