Indon cops crack down on petty criminals

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian police have shot and killed 11 suspected small-time criminals and wounded dozens more in a crackdown before it hosts the Asian Games next month, authorities said Tuesday.

Some 52 suspects have been shot after resisting arrest in the capital Jakarta since the start of July, with 11 dying of their wounds, police said.

“They were endangering the public because they resisted arrest,” said Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono.

More than 2,000 suspected criminals have been arrested in the past few weeks, he added.

Hundreds of extra officers are on patrol in Jakarta before it hosts the 18 August to 2 September event along with Palembang city on Sumatra island.

Security is a major concern at the Games which come a few months after fatal attacks in Indonesia’s second-biggest city Surabaya reignited concerns about Islamist militants.

Indonesia’s anti-terrorism squad has arrested some 200 terror suspects since the May attacks, according to the national police chief.