RAWALPINDI: Considering beggars and their operators as a serious security threat, the police have decided to launch a crackdown against them in collaboration with the City Traffic Police.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Regional Police Officer (RPO) Ahmed Ishaq Jehangir and attended by City Police Officer (CPO) Abbas Ahsan, SSP (operations) Syed Ali Akber and Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Mohammad Bin Ashraf.

Recently, an intelligence agency informed the district police that terrorists and criminal elements could carry out their activities under the guise of beggars if special measures were not taken to apprehend the alms seekers and their handlers.

In line with the concern expressed by the intelligence, the RPO held the meeting to discuss the strategy to check the menace of begging.

Decision taken after intelligence declared beggars a serious security threat

The meeting also discussed traffic problems being faced by the citizens and decided to launch a public awareness campaign.

Female traffic wardens were assigned the task to educate women drivers about the traffic laws.

The RPO was briefed about the traffic issues and measures to streamline traffic as motorists and pedestrians were equally facing problems due to gridlocks on roads.

“Professional beggars are a major problem in the city and worrying for the citizens and must be checked,” the RPO said.

He directed the officials concerned to seek help from the Child Protection Bureau to address the issue of teenage beggars and make them respectable members of society.

Expressing concern over the surge in street crime, the RPO directed the police officers to chalk out a fresh strategy for the patrolling of Dolphin Force.

The RPO also directed the chief traffic officer to take action against those violating traffic rules and also check the use of gas cylinders by school vans.

The CPO said: “We are changing the strategy about the deployment of Dolphin Force. The force would be assigned 10 routes in each police station to make its working more effective.”

The CPO said the police would also write to all concerned authorities seeking their help to resolve traffic issues in the city.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2019