The Economist of August 23 to 29th has published an article under the heading ‘Grand Theft Global Inc-Rogue Britannia’. In that article it is stated, among other things, that:
“Roughly 70,000 phones were snatched in London last year-almost 1 for every 100 people. Britain accounts for 40 percent of phone thefts in Europe (phone snatching is also growing elsewhere Parisian said adieu to their devices last year).
British thieves’ favoured method is to approach from behind on an electric bike, grab an unlocked phone and put it in a ‘Faraday bag’ to prevent tracking; most of the nicked phones end up in China”
This is the report of a country where the world’s best police service, Scotland Yard, operates. The author is a regular visitor of London, the capital of the country, having an apartment of his own over there.
This letter has been written to the Editor of this newspaper with a view to conveying to the young generation of Pakistan the fact that reality is not always similar to perception. Pakistan may not have an ideal social and law and order situation; however, the reality in other societies is not in accordance with the common perception at all, to say the least.
Syed Shabbar Zaidi (Karachi)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025