Sultan: Street Crime Perpetrators Will Not Be Accepted By His Family Again

Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

YOGYAKARTA - Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X said that the perpetrators of street crimes in Yogyakarta are not necessarily accepted by their parents or families anymore so they must be accommodated and fostered by the local Social Service.

"We, the Social Service together with several institutions have handled people who have been involved in 'klitih', street violence. The fact is that their parents don't necessarily want to accept them again. So we have nurtured them," said Sultan at the Yogyakarta DPRD building, Yogyakarta, as reported by Antara, Friday, April 8th.

According to the Sultan, the Yogyakarta Regional Government has so far involved various institutions to foster street criminals who are no longer accepted by their families.

"If the parents don't want to accept it anymore, should we let it go? Yes or no. Yes, we will take care of it, because the parents don't want it, the local government has taken over as a substitute for the parents," said the Sultan.

This was conveyed by the Sultan after emphasizing the importance of ensuring the legal process for the perpetrators of street crimes.

Even though they are still minors, according to the King of the Yogyakarta Palace, the legal process must continue regardless of ending in court or not.

To proceed to court, he said, the local government, the Prosecutor's Office, the police, and the court will jointly identify the condition of the families of children who are perpetrators of street crimes.

"From there, there will be a decision from the court the child will continue (the legal process) or not through the court. I just want this legal process to be carried out," said the Sultan.

The Head of Public Relations of the Yogyakarta Regional Police Kombes Yuliyanto ensured that the legal process would continue even though the perpetrators of street crimes were still minors.

As long as they meet the criminal elements, he said, they will still be processed, even if they are brought to trial.

"Perhaps people think that if minors are not processed, it is wrong. Minors will definitely be processed if they fulfill the elements for legal proceedings," said Yuliyanto.

Nevertheless, he does not deny that law enforcement must still refer to the rules that have been determined in the law (UU).

The mechanism for investigating minors is different from the investigation of adults, he said.

"The length of time the examination takes, where they are detained, is regulated separately unlike the others. So there are special rules, including for example diversion and so on," said Yuliyanto.