January 14, 2008	Monday	Muharram 04, 1429

The New Year greeted the residents of this troubled metropolis with the news of the biggest ever cash robbery in the city. Two hired private security guards recruited three accomplices and looted about Rs150 million of a company situated in Saima Trade Towers on I.I. Chundrigar Road.

The money came by air from up country and was collected by the representatives of the foreign exchange company and brought to the city.

The biggest cash dacoity before this was for Rs140 million committed in the same premises. But the amount robbed now is said to be in fact far more than admitted by the company. And it totalled about Rs210 million in dollars, pounds, sterling’s and other currencies. The company is reported to have under-stated the figure.

The two private sector guards recruited three more persons for the robbery. Because of shortage of police men, the finance companies have been forced to hire the guards from private sector security agencies. Guards hired by banks have been focusing mostly on looting banks but in recent days the foreign exchange companies have become their targets. After the New Year, a branch of the UBL situated on Rashid Minhas road was looted of Rs4 million.

Two men associated with the looting of the foreign exchange company have been arrested but no money was found on them or with them and it is not known whether the two men are the real culprits or not

As the situation gets worse, the inspector General of Police (Sindh), Zahid Hasan Khan was transferred along with several other officials. As far as the police is concerned, more of them are employed in protecting the VIPS and few look after the safety of the people. So the private sector is forced to hire security personnel from private sector some of whom are new to the business. And when they indulge in crimes the government expresses its helplessness.

Now the President, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry says that the industry, is making its own arrangement for its safety. If industrialists have to arrange for their own safety, power supply and hire private sector tankers for water, why should they pay taxes to the government, they ask. The taxes are heavy and the return is too small. While the police look after the VIPS and so do the security agencies at a very high cost, a solution has to be found for this problem instead of driving the businessmen and the industrialists to the wall.

When there was a rise in the snatching of mobile phones, cars and motorcycles, the government dubbed them as ‘street crimes’ and said it is common in America as well and it is a phenomenon common in big cities. As a result, the snatching of mobile telephones increased by 100 per cent in a year. Last year the total was 54,000.

This is giving a license to those who began their crime career by snatching mobile phones/purses and jewellery from women. Such men go on to commit bigger crimes later and are recruited by the real toughs in course of time. So it is a folly to give a long lease of life to those who indulge in street crime. And dismiss them by calling them as street crimes. It is better to nib them in the bud instead of letting the small delinquent become a professional criminal, and take to murder, if necessary.

Some time ago a student of the Sindh University at Jamshoro invited some distinguished persons to tea. When the time came for paying the bill, he found he did not have the cash. He excused himself and went out with a piece of rope and came back a little later and paid the bill. When asked where did he get the money from, he said he went with the rope along a friend, toppled a few motor cycles on the main road and collected the money. Raising money has become as simple as that.

Poverty and unemployment are said to be the breeding ground for such crimes. When some of the young boys committing crimes are confronted by elders and asked why such decent looking boys are indulging in crimes, they reply “get me the employment”. Thanks to the rising inflation, wages are not large enough to cover the basic expenses so some young men supplement their income through crimes.

It is not easy for such men to get bank loans. A State Bank report says, small farmers get too little of the bank credit. The government will have to make adequate arrangements to spread the micro credit. The UN is now declaring 2008 as the year of the bottom billion poor of the world. The UN secretary general takes a special interest in this project. If the problem can be solved this year, it will be a great achievement.

The UN millennium goal is already to reduce absolute poverty by about a half by the year 2012. If by the end of this year the bottom billion poor are taken care of, the millennium development goal can be achieved much quicker and the impact of inflation reduced.

What is important is to make it clear to all that crime does not pay and those who commit crimes will be tracked down and be punished. It is not enough if this is said in words, it should be shown in action. But unfortunately the ranks of the criminals are laced with retired or sacked policemen who secure the support of the regular policemen. This nexus must be broken and those who commit crimes must be punished as their crime warrants. It is often said by the authorities that crimes take place in America as well and New York is famous for that.

But the fact is that the crime in the US is exposed and the criminals punished often. Rape is common in the US but that is not practiced by the policemen and does not take place in police stations, nor does any one find it difficult to record a crime so the problem can be solved from the grass roots where the policemen should do their duty. And private guards and the agencies who hire them must be thoroughly screened and the undesirable elements weeded out.

The public should have confidence in the police and the police should have earned the confidence of the people through their exemplary action. The police should not be a symbol of brute authority. It should serve the people. If it does that, very few of them will die at the hands of criminals or in shootouts.