Jakarta crime fears rise, but rupiah slide keeps S’poreans coming

JAKARTA – Headlines about a recent spate of street crimes in Jakarta and viral videos of brazen robberies targeting tourists have prompted comparisons between the Indonesian capital and Gotham City, the crime-ridden fictional city in the Batman comics.

Separate videos circulating online in recent months show armed motorcycle thieves brandishing what appear to be firearms in broad daylight in various parts of Jakarta.

While the city’s governor has called these isolated incidents and, on May 9, cited surveys ranking Jakarta as ASEAN’s second-safest city after Singapore, the Indonesian authorities are beefing up security in the capital.

But Singaporean tourists interviewed by The Straits Times appeared largely undeterred by Jakarta’s reputation for crime, as they had other steals in mind.

For many, the weak rupiah has dialled up the city’s enduring appeal as a shopping and food destination.

“There’s no time to be scared – too much shopping to be done,” quipped Noraini Rahmat, 52, who was in Jakarta with her two sisters for what she described as a “full-on shopping marathon” from May 22 to 25.

The Singaporean trio’s hotel in Menteng is within walking distance of several major malls in Central Jakarta.

Just weeks before, on May 8, in the same upscale district, a Polish national’s bag was grabbed by a motorcyclist in the Kebon Sirih area.

On May 14, an Italian tourist had his mobile phone snatched by a motorcyclist near the iconic Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle in Menteng while he was waiting for a ride-hailing service by the road. Dashcam footage shows the victim chasing the thief before falling onto the road.

The incident echoed one in April outside Pos Bloc Jakarta in Pasar Baru, near the city centre, when two suspects rode a motorcycle onto the pavement and snatched the mobile phone of a German tourist as he was using it.

Police later said they had arrested three suspects and recovered the victim’s phone.

On May 22, Jakarta police said they had solved 171 street crime cases and arrested 103 suspects in the first five months of 2026, amid growing public concern over a spate of robberies in the capital.

Just days before, on May 18, Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung publicly backed tougher enforcement against street crime after police arrested a suspect linked to the snatch thief in the HI area.

He said robberies and street thuggery could not be tolerated because they disrupt public safety and tarnish Jakarta’s reputation as a “global city”.

The same day, Pramono also announced plans to integrate security camera systems across the capital with police monitoring networks. The proposed system would combine cameras owned by the Jakarta administration, police, private buildings and other institutions into a single surveillance network aimed at improving early detection and speeding up investigations.

“If this can be implemented, it will become an early monitoring system to prevent people from committing crimes in Jakarta,” Pramono said.

The recent crimes in Menteng, however, did not faze Noraini and her sisters.

“Of course, when videos like that go viral, people will talk about it. But honestly, we just try to be careful the same way we would in Singapore or any other big city,” said Noraini, who works in the healthcare industry.

“Don’t stand too close to the road with your phone out, don’t leave your bag open. You know, basic things like that,” she added.

The sisters’ itinerary included bargain-hunting for modest fashion at Thamrin City shopping centre in Central Jakarta, browsing popular local labels such as Buttonscarves at the city’s sprawling malls, and food-hopping around the trendy Blok M district. They also maximised their 30kg flight luggage allowance with hauls of lapis cake and other local snacks.

Noraini said the favourable exchange rate made the shopping trip feel even more worthwhile this year.

The sentiment was echoed by Marcus Tan, 38, who stopped over in Jakarta for three days after a holiday in East Nusa Tenggara with friends because he wanted to shop before flying home.

“A hundred Singapore dollars really stretches here. I can buy more, eat more, and still feel like I spent less than I would back home,” he said.

The Singapore dollar was recently trading at around 13,800 rupiah, near record highs against the Indonesian currency.

Tan said: “Even for brands we already have in Singapore, sometimes it still ends up cheaper here once you convert the price.”

Meanwhile, 29-year-old Nur Syarifah, who was in Jakarta with five friends and one of the friends’ three-year-old daughter, said the group felt comfortable enough visiting the city despite the recent crime reports.

They packed their itinerary with visits to viral eateries and TikTok-famous cafes in neighbourhoods across the city, including Kemang in South Jakarta and the SCBD.

“We wouldn’t come if we thought it was genuinely dangerous, especially with a toddler in the group. Compared with some places in Europe where you hear about pickpockets all the time, Jakarta still feels manageable to us,” said Syarifah.

Singapore is Indonesia’s second-largest source of visitors, after Malaysia. The city-state accounted for more than 320,000 arrivals in the first quarter of 2026, data from Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency, or BPS, showed.

Still, even among Singaporeans who said they remain comfortable travelling to Jakarta, many acknowledged the recent incidents had made them more conscious about being careful in public areas.

“You still need to stay alert, of course,” said Syarifah. “But we don’t feel unsafe walking around malls or cafe areas here. Honestly, the traffic is still more stressful than the crime.”