LAHORE, Oct 25: The crime against property has witnessed an increase in 13 police stations of the Sadar police division in the first nine months of 2012 as compared to the corresponding period of 2011.

Official statistics available with Dawn show that 3,529 cases in 14 categories were reported in the first nine months of 2012 as compared to 3,281 incidents reported in the corresponding month of last year, showing an increase of seven per cent.

The car-theft, motorcycle snatching and theft, burglary, theft (ordinary) and cattle theft have topped the crime against property chart in the division which houses PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s Jati Umra residences, Johar Town Expo Centre, Sundar Industrial Estate, a large number of industrial units along Multan Road, Raiwind Road and Manga Road besides residential and rural populations.

The crime graph is up in the division despite frequent movements of VVIPs in selective areas/roads, including Jati Umra Farms, Raiwind Road, Canal Road and Khyaban-i-Jinnah, as well as heavy and regular deployment of police on designated routes.

According to further break-up of the statistics, 115 incidents of motorcycle snatching were reported till Sept 2012 as compared to 110 till Sept 2011.

Against 233 incidents of car theft reported in the first nine months of 2011, 296 cars were taken away in the same period of 2012, showing an increase of 21.3 per cent.

As many as 430 incidents of motorcycle-theft were reported in nine months of the current year against 383 reported in the corresponding period of 2011, registering an increase of 11 per cent.

Similarly, 646 incidents of burglary were reported to the police in the first nine months of 2012 as compared to 608 such incidents in the same period of 2011, registering an increase of 5.8 per cent.

The ordinary theft also witnessed a sharp increase in the division as 1,029 incidents were reported in the first nine months of 2012 as compare to 897 incidents of the corresponding period of 2011.The increase was recorded up to 12.8 per cent.

The cattle-theft also witnessed an increase as 74 incidents were reported in nine months of 2012 as compared to 62 in the corresponding period of 2011, posting an increase of 16.2 per cent.

The division witnessed equally seven cases of dacoity/robbery with murder, four cases of bank dacoity/robbery and 715 cases of robbery in the corresponding periods of both years.

However, the division witnessed a slight decrease in dacoity, car-snatching, other vehicle snatching, vehicle theft, and theft (Section 382 of the PPC) in the current year as compared to the corresponding year.

Sadar SP (Operations) Capt Liaquat Ali Malik (retired) claimed the crime against property witnessed decrease during his four months and 12 days tenure as the SP (operations) as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

He said even heinous crime also witnessed a considerable decrease in his tenure.