T

he Jakarta Police's traffic directorate is providing temporary vehicle ownership documents (BPKB) and vehicle registration certificates (STNK) as it is running out of the specific paper required.

Deputy traffic chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sambodo Purnomo said on Tuesday that the police stopped receiving the required paper from the National Police's Traffic Corps (Korlantas) in early April.

'We have prepared stamps and temporary paper to produce these documents for the public, while waiting for the original paper material to arrive,' he told The Jakarta Post.

A stamp, he said, would be placed on another side of the regional vehicle tax payment sheet (SKPD).

The stamp would consist of a registration number, the vehicle owner's name, the owner's address, the type of the vehicle, the model of the vehicle, the vehicle chassis number, the vehicle engine number and the date of validity of the document.

'There will also be the signature of the head division,' he said, adding the temporary documents would be valid for six months from now.

Sambodo said the police had made announcements on the matter via the Jakarta Police Traffic Management Center's website www.tmcmetro.com and on announcement boards at the One-Stop Administration Centers (Samsat).

In the announcement, he said, vehicle owners could return the temporary documents to the police after the Jakarta Police had received the original material from the National Police.

He also said the police had already anticipated the potential forgery of the documents by placing a barcode on them.

The barcode, he said, could give information about the old BPKB.

'The police will scan the barcode to check the vehicle owner's data when the owner wants to replace the temporary documents with new ones,' said Sambodo.

'Also, it will be better for vehicle owners to extend their STNK and BPKB at the Samsat during these six months and not at agencies,' he added.

Tasya, 25-year old female worker who works in Central Jakarta, said it would be too much hassle for her and other vehicle owners to replace the temporary documents with permanent ones because it meant they would have to go back and forth to the police headquarters.

'I do not have time to come twice to the police to get STNK or BPKB. It's such a waste of time,' she told the Post.

She added she was considering extending her STNK only when the original material was ready so she would not have to deal with the hassle, even though that would exceed the validity period and thus cost her a penalty.

Tasya said she always extended her STNK at the Samsat because it was cheaper than doing it through agencies, and it would prevent her from being issued fake documents.

The latest data from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy shows there are more than 11.3 million motorized vehicles in Jakarta, while the city's population is 9.6 million.

Around 70 percent of households in the city own at least one motorcycle. (tam)