THE killing of alleged criminals in ‘encounters’ has not helped the police arrest the surging crime graph in the textile capital of Pakistan.

The killing of hardened criminals in ‘encounters’, instead of creating fear among gangsters, is multiplying the incidents of robbery, murder, attempt to murder, theft and highway and street crime.

The newly-appointed city police officer (CPO), Malik Ahmad Raza Tahir, has announced a zero-tolerance policy for criminals to make the district a crime-free territory. In pursuance of his policy, the district police have killed 12 criminals in five shootouts in the precincts of different police stations. The ‘shootouts’ happened here within a span of one-and-a-half month, but did nothing to arrest the crime graph that has registered a sharp rise.

The ‘zero-tolerance policy’ claimed on Nov 4, a few days after the joining of the CPO, two alleged robbers Kaka and Muzamal in Nishatabad. Police say the alleged robbers barged into a house of Rashida but their bid was foiled when people informed police and the invaders were killed in a ‘shootout’.

On Nov 7, police eliminated two more in the precincts of Mansoorabad police station.

Just two weeks after the second ‘encounter’, three unidentified robbers looted a branch of the United Bank in Jamila Abad, precincts of Nishatabad police station.

The robbers looted the bank in broad daylight and fled with Rs1.6 million. Though the CPO along with his subordinates rushed to the crime scene in no time and police besieged the adjacent localities but to no avail.

The third ‘shootout’ took place near Dasoha, near Dijkot police, on Nov 25 in which police gunned down four criminals – Azia, alias Jaja, Pervez, alias Peja, Kashif, alias Kashi, and Amjad, alias Jara. As police bagged four bodies on Nov 25, criminals, on the other hand, killed Farooq Ahmed in Gulistan Colony the same day for resisting a robbery bid.

Instead of going for effective interrogation and operational strategies, the police kept its affair with ‘shootouts’ alive and killed two brothers near Sheroana Bridge, precincts of Sadar Jaranwala police station on Nov 27.

Police said criminal brothers Yousaf and Ashraf were wanted for dacoity-cum-murder and other crimes.

The strategy of zero-tolerance is based on the ‘Broken Windows’ theory-first developed by two American academics, George Kelling and James Wilson in 1983. They think that there is a direct link between disorder and crime.

Police struck for the fifth time on Dec 8 in which alleged criminals – Imran, alias Mani, and Pervez, alias Badil – were gunned down in the precincts of Sahianwala police station.

As police continued shootouts, more than 300 incidents of crimes such as theft, robbery and snatching were reported in past one month in which people were deprived of millions, vehicles and other valuables.

Social activist advocate Shahid Niaz says aggression is no solution to any problem instead we should mend the evils of society. He said examples were there that by employing zero-tolerance policy some unscrupulous elements of Police Department would also watch their own interests by removing even their own foes.

He said it was on the record that scores of police officers had been serving here even had cases against them. And the zero-tolerance policy has made police employees too aggressive even in handling the petty offences.

This policy will mar the exercise and impression of soft police culture that has consumed billions of rupees from the national exchequer. He said people would feel threatened when they visit police stations or even officials.