Premans arrested in Jakarta.
The Jakarta provincial government has allocated Rp 2 billion in the 2015 Regional Budget to get rid of premans (street thugs) in the capital. To combat the seemingly never-ending preman problem, the city has called on for the police and the army to help.
“We need help from the army and the police. We can’t get rid of premans on our own,” said Benjamin Bukit, head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency, as quoted by Tempo yesterday.
The preman eradication budget will go towards paying for the daily meals and allowances for army and police personnel. Officers involved in the operation will be given Rp 38 thousand for food and Rp 250 thousand for allowances each day.
Tough measures will be required to drive preman out of places like Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. Preman have prevented the provincial government from enforcing the law in the area.
“[Tanah Abang] is full of premans. We can’t do it alone. We don’t want to die, silly,” Benjamin said.
So far, the operation has paid dividends. Over the past weekend, forces captured 67 premans in Central Jakarta, 177 in West Jakarta, and 30 in East Jakarta. All of the preman were caught with illegal weapons, drugs, or alcohol.
