JAKARTA: The Medan administration in North Sumatra plans to install nearly 10,000 CCTV cameras across the city starting next year to curb a surge in local thefts following widespread public outcry.
Medan Mayor Rico Tri Putra Bayu Waas announced that the extensive surveillance network will be connected to a centralised monitoring system designed to detect suspicious activity in residential neighbourhoods in real time.
"We are preparing 10,000 CCTV units for all of Medan. We will monitor the entire system to enhance safety for our residents," Rico stated during a community town hall event on Saturday.
Each of Medan’s 21 districts will receive approximately 500 CCTV cameras, covering all 151 sub-districts. To enable faster response times, monitoring responsibilities will be assigned to the respective sub-district authorities.
Rico expressed hope that the surveillance initiative would strengthen the city’s overall security infrastructure.
Halimah, a resident of Medan's Beringin sub-district, said several homes in the area had recently been targeted by thieves. She said residents were losing valuables to theft almost every week, leaving many feeling increasingly unsafe.
“We are worried about these incidents. It is no longer safe here,” Halimah said on Saturday.
Supriono, 57, a street food vendor in Medan, recently lost his food cart after an unidentified person stole it from outside his home, leaving him unable to continue his business.
“The thief was caught on CCTV removing the padlock from my cart outside my house. He then pushed the cart away by himself,” Supriono told The Jakarta Post.
A similar account came from Amat, Supriono’s neighbour, whose house was broken into several months ago. Amat said the thief took several household items, including a television, jewellery and cash.
North Sumatra Police spokesperson Sr Comr Ferry Walintukan said maintaining public security was a shared responsibility, emphasizing that cooperation between the police and the community was essential to maintaining a safe and conducive environment in Medan and across North Sumatra.
“Everyone must work together to maintain public security in North Sumatra. The number of police officers is limited and insufficient to monitor the entire population of the province. The ratio is roughly one police officer for every 600 residents,” he said.
Majda El Muhtaj of the Human Rights Study Center at Medan State University said the recent rise in theft and robbery in Medan coincided with an increase in drug-related cases. He acknowledged that some perpetrators of theft and robbery may be people affected by drug use.
“Police need to step up efforts to ensure public safety and protect residents from street crimes such as theft and robbery, particularly in areas where drug abuse has become increasingly prevalent and concerning,” he said on Sunday (Oct 4).
North Sumatra recorded the highest rate of drug abuse in Indonesia, according to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), with an estimated 1.5 million residents or roughly 10 per cent of the province’s 15 million population are affected by drug abuse.
The province's addiction rate drastically outpaces the national average of 2.7 per cent. BNN estimates that approximately 1.5 tonnes of illegal drugs circulate through North Sumatra every month, with a total market value of approximately Rp 1.5 trillion (US$83 million). - The Jakarta Post/ANN
