T

he Central Java Police have urged members of the public to be proactive in helping to fight crimes using firearms.

The calls were issued in the wake of the growing number of armed crimes in the province, with police telling people not to hesitate to lodge reports regarding such crimes in their neighborhoods.

Public cooperation is expected to help the police trace the rental of illegal firearms, as part of a set of pre-emptive measures.

“We will tighten supervision internally and externally on the use of firearms. If anyone is found in possession of illegal arms, we will arrest them,” Central Java Police officer in charge of crime and Intelligence Sr. Comr. Bambang Rudi Praktiknyo said in Semarang on Monday.

From 2011 to 2012, the police have recorded 10 criminal cases using firearms in Semarang, Kendal and Purbalingga.

The figure has shown an increase by two folds compared to 2010. Most of the cases were armed robberies marked with murder and rape.

“The 10 cases came to light after confession by the suspects, having been arrested in possession of firearms. But there were no reports lodged by the victims, despite the fact that the suspects could have hid the evidence [firearms],” Bambang said.

According to him, armed crimes were not only a threat to the public but also to law enforcers, because some of the cases indicated that firearms were hired from individuals within the military and the police.

“Police members who are fired for disciplinary offenses do not hand over their guns or ammunition. Their serial numbers are erased, so unit commanders find it hard to trace them,” he said.

When former police members are cash-strapped, they rent their guns at prices between Rp 2 million (US$235) and Rp 3 million.

“It’s quite difficult to trace those who lease out their guns because transactions are done through the Internet, while they hand their guns through middlemen or friends,” he said.

The police were reported to have mounted a raid on armed robbers in Cikampek, West Java, on March 22.

According to Central Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Djihartono, during a raid involving a gun fight, police shot and killed two robbers who had often operated in several cities in Central Java. Police also arrested two robbers.

“They confessed they’d only rented the guns and ammunition from a dismissed police officer,” he said.

The armed gang, which has been characterized as “sadistic and desperate” when carrying out crimes, has used firearms in every crime it has committed. It is believed to have networks in several major cities in the country, while operating in Purworejo, Kendal and Salatiga.