KARACHI: The city police chief, Additional Inspector General Imran Yaqub Minhas, on Wednesday underlined the importance of adopting a ‘regulatory framework’ for sale of second-hand mobile phones, accessories and declared that the unplanned growth of the metropolis was a major challenge for law enforcers in maintaining peace and order and security.

He said that due to lack of proper planning, the city was gradually collapsing and facing a great deal of problems and it was a matter of grave concern that there was no expansion plan for Karachi as the city was witnessing an unplanned growth for decades.

He said this in a meeting during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday.

“The city is becoming an ocean of concrete with undocumented and uncontrolled population. It has to be ‘reframed’ in a planned way otherwise the city will become prey to its own serious issues,” warned the police chief.

‘Three gangs operating in DHA’

Conceding that three gangs of criminals were operating in posh areas, the city police chief also revealed that a strategy had been made and hinted that citizens would see a perceptible change in the crime graph very soon.

Business community expresses grave concerns over deteriorating law and order situation

He also conceded that robberies were taking place in Defence Housing Authority and disclosed that three gangs of criminals were operating there. “One of the gangs has been busted and its coordinators have also been identified,” he added.

“Serious efforts are under way and strategies have been adopted to control crime hence, the situation in DHA is likely to improve in a next few days,” said Mr Minhas.

“An effective surveillance system is needed, otherwise the crimes will never stop,” he warned. “Enhancing the number of police officers would not yield results and we have to adopt scientific and technological practices being used all over the world for effectively controlling street crimes.”

“The sale of second-hand mobile phones and accessories has to be brought into a regulatory framework, which will help in dealing with the most serious issue of rising street crimes as the accessories and spare parts of all snatched phones are being sold in local markets,” he observed.

“The street crimes would only reduce if a proper regulatory framework for sale of second-hand mobile phones and spare parts is put in place, otherwise it will remain a challenge and we may reach to the verge of disaster in terms of street crimes,” he warned.

Call to regulate social media

He also described the social media as a “menace and a curse” and claimed that a huge portion of content doing rounds on the social media was based on ‘unauthenticated’ baseless reporting which was playing with public nerves hence, it also needed to be regulated.

He urged the business community to raise a strong voice for regulating all social media sites and apps.

The city police chief said: “We are facing another serious challenge within the department i.e. criminalisation of police force and we are fighting really hard with that challenge which is not less than confronting the ocean’s waves.”

He also assured the meeting participants that he would look into the possibility of nominating a focal person exclusively for the KCCI.

Step-motherly attitude to Karachi

Businessmen Group (BMG) chairman Zubair Motiwala expressed deep concerns over deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi.

He pointed out that 26 robberies had happened in Defence alone whereas 17.5 per cent rise was witnessed in murder cases, car snatching had escalated by 67pc, gang rape incidents increased by 130pc and 100pc increase was recorded in murder while resisting street crimes and bank robberies.

He urged lawmakers to stop ‘step-motherly treatment meted out’ to Karachi and give special attention to law and order and adopt an effective strategy to control crimes.

He stressed the need for abiding by traffic laws, signal adherence and urged the police to stop road users from committing one-way violation and do not allow youngsters and underage children to ride motorcycles without licence to prevent frequent traffic jams.

BMG’s Vice Chairman Jawed Bilwani said law and order situation had deteriorated particularly in District South and West.

He suggested the police authorities to compile a database of criminals and publicise it so that judges and everyone could see and analyse how many times these culprits had been apprehended and released on bail which would prove very fruitful in crime control.

The general secretary of BMG, A.Q. Khalil, said Rangers enjoyed more powers and facilities as compared to the police.

KCCI president Muhammad Idrees said effective policing needed in the city where the population had risen to around 25 to 30 million and the law and order situation had been getting from bad to worse day by day due to increase in street crimes, burglaries, thefts, motorcycle and vehicle snatching, etc.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2021