KARACHI: Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Dr Syed Kaleem Imam said on Wednesday that there had been a steep fall in targeted killings in the city over the last few years as the figure dropped from 509 recorded in 2013 to only 15 this year.

This was stated by the IGP during his visit to the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), where he also confirmed that in 2019 no terrorist incidents had taken place in the city whereas in 2013 there were 61 such incidents.

The provincial police chief said that in any society a majority of people were law-abiding citizens and police had to deal with around 10 per cent criminal-minded elements. But such elements could also be reformed by providing better education, health and social welfare facilities, he added.

Dr Imam further said that most of the crimes in Karachi took place owing to poverty, unemployment, high cost of living and mass migration. But there were also crimes related to civil disputes, including land-related issues.

Giving some other details, the police chief said that incidents related to murder and civil crimes came down from 4,785 in 2013 to 1,200 cases. Similarly, kidnapping for ransom incidents also recorded a steep fall, from 260 in 2013 to only 24 in 2019.

Incidents of extortion, he said, also declined from 575 in 2013 to 121 in 2019, while mobile snatching that once peaked at 14,000 per annum had also receded to a considerable extent.

During the last 18 months, the police chief said, 49,000 complaints were received and 46,000 disposed of, and the police department removed many officials from service on disciplinary action and rewarded those who performed well.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2019