The Aggressivenes of Security Forces on Hunting the Terrorists in Semarang

By: Dewi Widyastuti) *
The terror of the burning of cars and motorbikes had made a scene in the city of Semarang, Kendal and surrounding areas at the end of January 2019. The perpetrators launched their action in the early hours by targeting cars or motorbikes on the side of the road or garage.
Head of Central Java Police Public Relations Commissioner Agus Triatmaja, confirmed there would be acts of terror burning vehicles. Several incidents occurred in Semarang City, Semarang Regency, Semarang Regency and Kendal Regency.
He said, the case was still under investigation by the Central Java Regional Police. A number of witnesses have been questioned to reveal the mastermind behind the terror that disturbed the residents. Including securing evidence from the scene.
From the information gathered, the action of burning vehicles was carried out by the perpetrators at around 03.00 WIB until before Shubuh. The perpetrator threw the cloth which had been covered in gasoline and glue and then burned and thrown it into the hood of the car both on the roadside and in the garage of the residents’ houses.
Recorded there have been 13 incidents of burning car residents. Some of them occur in Kendal Regency as many as 7 events. Then one report occurred in Semarang.
Therefore, Agus also asked the public not to worry about this incident because the police would continue to investigate. It also urged the public to reactivate siskamling to increase alertness while narrowing the movement of the perpetrators.
One of the victims whose car was burned by the perpetrator was a resident named Dodi Handono. 71-year-old man who lives on Jalan Genuk Karanglo, Semarang City. Central Java, claimed that his car was burned by an unknown person on Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 4:15 a.m. WIB. At that time, Dodi’s car was parked in his yard which was covered in a fence.
Dodi had just arrived at a Toyota car with his police number H 8671 FG which burned on the front, when there were residents who shouted when there was a fire. Suddenly, Dodi who heard the scream immediately got up and looked at the fire window was blazing.
It takes about 30 minutes to extinguish the fire that crushes the front of the car. When confirmed, Dodi did not know the possibility of the reckless perpetrators burning the car. He also stressed that he never had problems with other people.
Terror also occurred in Kendal City, Central Java, precisely in Karangayu Village, Cepiring, Kendal Regency, Central Java, on Tuesday morning.
In the event, Nawang Sumirat, a resident of RT 01 / RW, Karangayu Village, Cepiring Kendal Regency.
The head of Karangayu Village, Ahmad Riyadi, said that the residents were caught trying to burn a car with the police number H 9474 DD.
 “Residents saw two people, each riding a motorcycle, near the location,” he said. One of the unidentified people then went down and threw something at the car parked on the terrace of the house.
He said, residents had smelled Bensi when an unknown person threw an object that was thought to be a lighter.
The fire that was burning but could immediately be extinguished did not have time to spread to other areas. The fire only caused damage to the front left side of the car.
Responding to this matter, the National Police has formed a special team to investigate terrorist acts of car burning in several areas in Central Java. The team consisted of the ranks of the National Criminal Investigation Agency, the 88 Anti-Terrorism Special Detachment and the National Police Security Intelligence Agency.
In addition to prosecution, the police will also take preventive measures by appealing to the public to optimize the environment security system. The police also have to intensify patrols regularly to narrow the movement of the perpetrators.
University of Indonesia (UI) Criminologist Iqrak Sulhin assessed that the car burning terrorists in Central Java had not been revealed because the identification method used by the police was still manual. Police work based on surveillance cameras (CCTV)
The terror of burning cars by unknown people was allegedly carried out to disturb the public. “The perpetrators want to make the people of Semarang nervous, not calm and scared,” said Agus.

Similar statements were also delivered by Iqrak. He said, there were a number of things that could become motives in the terror of burning this car. However, in the meantime, this action aims to be fun that aims to make people worry or fear.
The fun motive can be seen from the random choice of victims, the Police also stated that the results of the investigation showed that the victims had no connection at all. If relationships are found between victims, it could be that the perpetrators have interpersonal motives.
Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) alleged that the terror of burning motorized vehicles in Central Java was aimed at disrupting the running of the 2019 presidential election. However, this event occurred in the warmest area before the election. Of course it is not impossible if there are certain groups that are fishing in turbid water to bang both sides.
Following up on the case, the Central Java Regional Police formed a special team to hunt down the terrorists of burning vehicles. The team consisting of members of Reskrim, the Intel Unit, Sabhara, and elements of the Binmas were optimized to conduct regional patrols.
To minimize the case of burning the car, the Central Java Regional Police Chief Insp. Gen. Condro Kirono requested that the military and police serving in a number of villages in Central Java (Bhatinkamtibmas and Babinsa) sleep in the local village hall.
The preparedness of the security forces in reducing terrorist acts needs to be appreciated. In addition to preventing similar actions from happening again, optimizing the deployment of security forces is expected to restore security to the community. The public is also expected not to speculate and contribute actively to help maintain the security of his residence.

) * The author is a sociopolitical observer