KARACHI: Conceding that the incidents of street crime were on the rise in the metropolis, Karachi police chief Javed Alam Odho on Monday assured the city’s business community that all-out measures were being taken to improve the situation.

The police chief was speaking at a programme organised by the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI).

He said that steps were being taken to get new vehicles and soon new mobile vans would be provided to police stations.

He said the recently-launched Shaheen Force was showing positive results against street crimes.

Members of KATI blame unemployment, illegal immigrant for rise in crime

The city police chief said that last year 5,500 criminals were arrested while this year the number had exceeded 6,600.

He hoped that the Safe City project would be launched in Karachi in two years, which would help in controlling crimes.

He said Karachi city was ranked 106 on the global list of 250 crime-affected cities last year and the ranking had improved to 128 this year.

He said that after 2012 and 2013, it was the business community that raised its voice against incidents of kidnapping for ransom, targeted killing and extortion in the city, following which the law enforcement agencies, especially the Rangers and police, took action and restored peace in the city.

Earlier, KATI patron-in-chief S.M. Muneer said the economy was going through a crisis while the negative propaganda against the army on social media was condemnable.

He said the business community would continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies for the improvement of the country’s economy and the law and order.

KATI president Salman Aslam said incidents of street crimes had increased due to rising inflation.

He said that display of weapons had become a common sight in Karachi and this should be banned. Peace could be established only by deweaponising the city. Zubair Chhaya said the Korangi industrial area was the economic artery of Karachi, but street crime had increased due to which people were feeling insecure.

He said the police played a very positive role in the case of “blackmailing of a well-known export company and brought out the facts through responsible investigation”.

Khalid Tawab said the law and order situation was deteriorating in the city due to illegal migrants.

He said that due to the efforts of the police and law enforcement agencies, peace had been established in Karachi, but once again the criminal elements were trying to destroy the environment.

Danish Khan said Karachi was the economic hub of Pakistan as 15 years ago the city contributed 78 per cent of the country’s revenue, but today it had reduced to 64 to 65 per cent due to the flight of capital and relocation of the industry abroad or domestically.

He said the situation in the city was much better than in 2010, but there had been a significant increase in the street crime. Unemployment had increased due to the economic crisis, which had also increased crime incidents, he added.

Citizen-Police Liaison Committee chairman Zubair Habib, DIG-East Muqadas Haider, Korangi SSP Faisal Bashir Memon, Malir SSP Syed Irfan Bahadur and other senior officials and businessmen were present.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2022