EDITORIAL: The commercial capital of this country seems to have become its crime capital, too. The law and order situation in Karachi has gone from bad to worse. The city’s Korangi neighbourhood alone reported 100 cases of street crimes within less than two months’ time.
A few days ago, a producer of a private TV channel lost his life while trying to prevent mugging of a citizen in Karachi’s North Nazimabad, also a young man was shot dead in the vicinity of a Power House located in a residential area on refusing to hand over his cell phone. As many as 15 people have been killed in street crimes and about 90 wounded since last month. Countless others were deprived of valuables worth multi-millions.
Apparently stirred into action by the vast media coverage of TV producer’s murder, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah held a meeting on Monday with the top police and Rangers officials as well as provincial heads of intelligence agencies. The meeting decided to launch targeted operations against street criminals and also to start electronic tagging of hardened criminals. Whilst reprimanding the police and the Rangers officials, the CM told them that he usually tours the city incognito but hardly ever sees them patrolling the roads, which was unacceptable.
The point he made is well taken, but not entirely valid considering that the police force in the city is not only under-resourced but grossly insufficient in numbers for a city the size of Karachi. As if that is not bad enough, some 15,000 posts of constables are lying vacant.
CM Shah has now directed the new IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon to start recruitment process on fast track. The police to population ratio being an important factor in effective street patrolling he needs to consider raising the numerical strength of the force. There are several other problems affecting the efficiency of the Sindh police.
One is the rapid changes in the top command. Before the provincial police chief can settle down on the job and implement plans for improving the law and order situation, he is handed marching orders. Another is the setting up of a Special Investigation Unit to curb street crimes, which has made the police stations lax about their responsibilities.
The CM rightly pointed out that the SHOs (station house officers) have knowledge about all active criminals in their areas. Police stations should be the focus of any crime mitigation strategy.
What also need attention are serious weaknesses in police investigations and case preparations against suspects. This comes out from the fact that of 7,179 suspects arrested for street crimes, 3,666 were released by courts on bail.
The police may blame that on the courts but it is also the outcome of their own poor performance. As for the other issue the CM asked the IGP, Home Secretary and the Law Department to suggest necessary legislation so as to make grant of bail difficult for habitual offenders. Hopefully, the resolve to take all these measures and heightened vigilance will not fizzle out with the passage of time.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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