Owing to stringent security measures taken by Islamabad Police, no major terrorist incident occurred in the federal capital in the year 2010 as 120 suspected terrorists were arrested besides foiling of dozens of terror attempts.
More than 200 checkpoints were erected in the city and vigilant personnel of Islamabad Police, Anti Terrorist Squad, police commandos and other law enforcement agencies were deployed at the entry and exit points to ensure a terror-free atmosphere, which helped in foiling terrorist attacks in the capital, police sources revealed while talking to the scribe, here on Friday.
They said that although strict security measures were taken, crime rate in the capital showed upward trend with an increase of 18 percent rise during the current year. More than 6,600 cases were registered in 15 police stations during 2010 as compared to 5,000 during last year, while 7,630 persons were arrested for their involvement in these cases, they said.
More than 138 persons were murdered in the city during the year, while police claimed to have traced 131 cases whereas 23 cases of kidnapping for ransom were registered. Also, 132 cases of 'attempt to murder' were registered during the year, while 391 persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in criminal activities, they added.
The sources said this year, total 340 `hurt cases' were registered in all 14 police stations of the capital in which 895 accused were arrested for their involvement. They added that 23 cases of kidnapping for ransom took place while 39 persons, responsible for these incidents, were nabbed.
Regarding the recovery efforts, they said more than 87 stolen vehicles, worth millions of rupees, were recovered by Islamabad Police during the year. Police also arrested more than 197 proclaimed offenders, 484 court absconders and several drug pushers during the year. A total of 824 persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in drug peddling and a total of 402 kg hashish, 105 kg opium, 47 kg heroin, 57,779 wine bottles and 49 kilogram poppy were recovered from them.
Over 89 persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in dacoities, 265 for involvement in robbery, 114 for involvement in burglary, 113 accused for involvement in car theft, 24 accused for involvement in motorcycle theft and 249 persons for involvement in general theft were arrested during the year. In all, 739 accused were arrested for their alleged involvement in possessing illegal arms and a total of 35 Kalashnikov, 62 rifles, 56 guns/carbine, 656 pistols/revolvers and 28 other weapons were recovered from them. The police said that a total number of 6,595 cases were registered and 7,630 persons were arrested in this regard. A total recovery of around Rs 285,758,902 in the registered cases.
Police sources also revealed that during the year, police took drastic measures against corruption and over 100 policemen were expelled from services for corruption and antisocial activities, while 1,486 capital city policemen were punished.
Commenting on the statistics, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Islamabad, Tahir Alam Khan said that the reason behind the success of Islamabad Police in controlling the crime is its strategy of community and vigilant policing. He said notables of various areas were appointed as civilian human rights officers in the police stations to observe police attitude with complainants and ensure protection to the basic rights of people.
He added that security and vigilance committees were also activated to ensure effective security in various areas with the co-operation of local people. He pledged to continue these efforts of effective policing and make police department service-oriented in real manner. "They have been given target to focus on detection of crime and satisfy the public by resolving their grievances," he said.
Expressing his views, a spokesman of Islamabad Police said that the commitment and devotion by the personnel despite several constraints helped it succeed in nabbing 7,630 criminals during 2010. DIG (Operations) Bani Ameen and SSP Islamabad Tahir Alam Khan devised comprehensive security and patrolling plan, which proved very effective in controlling crimes, he added. He further said police officers and jawans remained firm against the menace of terrorism and also emerged successful during the ongoing year in countering criminal elements, murderers, drug pushers, robbers and criminal gangs. Before making any assessment about Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police, which is working for 1.2 million population, the volume of work assigned to them must be taken into account, he concluded.