Government-community joint efforts stressed to curtail crime

Head of National Police Bureau Dr Shoaib Suddle has said that combined efforts of the government and community are needed to create a tolerant society to curtail the crime rate. There were different reasons for gangsterism and culture of violence in the society, among which unemployment and social disorder were the most important, Dr Suddle told Voice of America. He quoted criminality in a family and negative values as other reasons for the growing crime rate in the society.
"Increasing criticism on unemployed persons results in violence," he said, adding which could be removed by generating tolerance. Family, society, media and educational institutions could play an important role to promote tolerance.
Majority of poor people was law-abiding citizens and lived within their limited means, whereas most often the white-collar people had been found involved in various crimes.
Police, judiciary and prisons had also an important role to control street violence, he said and added that some people rightly said that prisons were universities of crimes.
He said, if police nominated a wrong person in any murder case then it was also a cause of violence.
To a question he said the performance indicator for a police official was community satisfaction.
Dr Suddle said efforts were underway to introduce new reforms in police, which would help develop a people-friendly police force in the country.
He counted a number of problems faced by the police officials including thin salary, 16-hour duty, vehicles without fuel etc "I think attractive wages are necessary for the police officials, then there must be ruthless accountability," he added.
To another question he said unemployed people having no means to manage the livelihood were more prone to be used by the terrorists.
"It is therefore duty of the government and civil society to provide at least basic facilities to the people for improving law and order situation".
Unfortunately, he said the political activists were sometimes found involved in crimes. It should be studied and analysed whether the political parties were encouraging crimes or their workers were doing such crimes at their own, he suggested.
However, it was the responsibility of the political parties to improve such conditions prevailing in society, he added.