LAHORE: While releasing 2020 performance report of the Lahore police on Thursday, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Ashfaq Khan lauded services of the officials for improvement in law and order and security as compared to 2019.

He said that owing to the performance of the police, Lahore continuously improved its rank as safer city on the International Crime Index among peaceful cities of the world.

The force performed diligently despite facing vulnerable situations in the wake of Covid-19 as hundreds of police officers and officers were affected from the pandemic while some of them embraced martyrdom.

Releasing the report on 2020, the DIG said a decrease of 14pc in the incidents of burglary, 7pc in robbery as well as 18pc in snatching and stealing of vehicles was a great success of smart policing.

Lahore police arrested 52,715 criminals in 2020, 2,617 members of 1,090 robbers’ gangs and recovered more than 200m from them. The money was handed over to the actual heirs.

During the grand action against illegal weapons in the city, the city police arrested 6,578 criminals and registered 6,571 cases against them. The police recovered 46 Kalashnikovs, 330 rifles, 256 guns, 5866 pistols, 05 carbines, 68 daggers and 52 thousands of bullets from these criminals.

The police arrested 8,239 drug peddlers and recovered from them more than 118kg heroin, more than 2,789kg charas, 4kg and 580grm ICE, 187kg opium and 84,941 bottles of liquor.

Lahore police arrested 5,217 gamblers and registered 1,041 cases against them.

The police arrested 1,718 criminals for running brothels, 244 proclaimed offenders of A category, 4,086 POs of B category whereas 4,702 court offenders were arrested.

The police also arrested 2,344 for violating wheelie, 10,260 for kite flying, 666 for aerial firing, 2,098 for bagging, 2,987 for violating price control rules and 894 persons were also arrested for violating loudspeaker act.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2021