LAHORE: Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana has said that Lahore is a safe city with no room for the underworld, land-grabbing groups or extortion mafias, adding that crimes against women and children remain a “red line” for the Punjab chief minister and that no compromise will be made on their protection.
However, he warned that strict legal action would also be taken against those found filing false cases.
He was speaking at a “Meet the Press” programme during his visit to the Lahore Press Club on Monday. DIG Operations Faisal Kamran and DIG Investigation Zeeshan Raza accompanied him. Press Club President Arshad Ansari and other office-bearers welcomed the Police Chief.
Bilal Siddique Kamyana said the police and the press had a close and longstanding relationship, stressing that constructive criticism and fact-based reporting played a key role in building a healthy society.
In response a question, he said Lahore Police had taken effective measures to curb crime and maintain law and order, resulting in a significant decline in criminal incidents across the city. He maintained that citizens continued to move around Lahore without fear, even late at night.
Speaking about crimes against women and children, the CCPO said the Punjab Chief Minister had adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and offences against women and children. Their protection was being ensured at all costs, he said, adding that legal action under the Anti-Rape Act would be initiated against those who lodged false cases.
Sharing crime statistics with the media, Bilal Siddique Kamyana said 4,354 cases of women’s abduction were registered from January to October in 2024, compared with 4,888 in the corresponding period of 2025 and 5,380 in 2026.
He said 94 percent of these cases were cancelled in 2024, 95pc in 2025 and 84pc in 2026. The cancellation rate in cases involving crimes against children ranged from 89pc to 91pc, he added.
According to the CCPO, the cancellation rate in gang-rape cases ranged from 26pc to 38pc, while approximately 50pc of rape cases registered over the past three years had been cancelled.
Bilal Siddique Kamyana said Lahore had recorded a 47pc overall decline in heinous crime in 2026 compared with 2025.
He cited a 9pc reduction in murder cases, 17pc in attempted murder, 44pc in robbery, 68pc in street robbery and 45pc in snatching incidents. Car snatching declined by 67pc, car theft by 68pc, motorcycle snatching by 63pc,
motorcycle theft by 44pc and burglary by 37pc, he said.
Attributing the decline to an effective policing strategy and teamwork, the CCPO said Lahore Police had brought around one million cases to their logical conclusion over the past several years.
During the current year, he added, police had arrested 5,212 suspects belonging to 2,410 criminal gangs. Recoveries worth more than Rs1.51 billion had been made in cases registered in 2026 so far.
Responding to a question about Basant, he said the prescribed timelines for the manufacture and sale of kites and kite strings would be strictly enforced.
DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said police registered a case promptly whenever a crime was reported. He also pointed to the significant decline in crime and said the Punjab government was taking effective measures to promote tourism in Lahore. Fact-based reporting, he added, was an important responsibility of the media.
DIG Investigation Zeeshan Raza said the recovery rate in cases involving women and children stood at 99pc. He said investigations were being pursued to their logical conclusion with the help of human intelligence and modern forensic science.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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