World · East Asia & Pacific · 3 hrs ago
Jakarta Officials Map Jobs Needs in Neighborhood Stigmatized by Drugs
Residents of Kampung Boncos in West Jakarta say the area's reputation as a drug hotspot makes it harder to find work.
Some say employers turn them away when they see their home address on identity documents, even though they are not involved in drugs.
Police have identified 400 households that need jobs.
On Wednesday, a senior Jakarta police official met residents as police and the Jakarta provincial government began mapping local needs.
The door-to-door effort also covers sanitation, lighting, roads, waste, safety and health services.
Officials plan to connect job seekers with work and training, including through vocational training centers for people who need new skills.
The broader goal is to turn Boncos into a drug-free neighborhood, while addressing problems that officials say lie behind the visible drug trade.
The information gathered will be reviewed with local authorities and other relevant groups for follow-up.
Jakarta police identified 400 households in Kampung Boncos as needing work.
Police and the Jakarta provincial government are mapping residents’ needs, including jobs, sanitation, lighting, roads, waste management and security.
Residents say the neighborhood’s reputation for drug activity makes it harder to find work.
Deputy police chief Adex Yudiswan said residents who need training could be referred to a job training center.
The initiative is part of an effort to change Kampung Boncos’s image to “Kampung Bersinar,” or Drug-Free Village.
- Who
- Jakarta police and the Jakarta provincial government are working with Kampung Boncos residents. Deputy police chief Adex Yudiswan took part in the dialogue.
- What
- Officials are mapping residents’ needs, including employment and local services, and plan to coordinate follow-up.
- When
- The dialogue took place on November 4, 2026.
- Where
- Kampung Boncos, in Kota Bambu Selatan, Palmerah, West Jakarta.
- Why
- Officials aim to address residents’ needs and change the neighborhood’s drug-related stigma.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Deputy police chief Adex Yudiswan spoke with residents in Kampung Boncos about their circumstances and difficulties.
Police reported that their survey had identified 400 households needing work.
Police and the Jakarta provincial government said they would coordinate on residents’ needs and seek jobs and training for those who need them.
- Households needing work
- 400
- Neighborhood
- Kampung Boncos, Kota Bambu Selatan, Palmerah, West Jakarta
- Dialogue date
- November 4, 2026
- Police official
- Adex Yudiswan, Jakarta deputy police chief
- Proposed new image
- Kampung Bersinar, or Drug-Free Village
What people are saying
Yes, sir (with this address).
If they need work, for example, we identify that. In one household, how many people are working and how many are not?
We want to find out what the community actually needs. What are the obstacles? Why do these problems keep going on?
We want to change this into Kampung Bersinar, a Drug-Free Village.