A REPORT in this newspaper recently laid bare the entrenched network and criminal activities of dacoits in Sindh’s upper riverine areas and the myriad challenges faced by the provincial police force in countering them. The conditions in which police officials posted in Kashmore, Ghotki and Shikarpur work are appalling. Several officials, including DSPs and SHOs, have been killed in encounters with the fearsome dacoits of the katcha area. These outlaws are heavily armed with sophisticated weaponry, including anti-aircraft guns and rocket launchers, leaving the police at a considerable disadvantage. The police personnel are also outnumbered, and there is only a paltry force deputed to man check posts in the areas over which the dacoits have such a strong grip. But it is not just limited resources and manpower that is a hurdle in this situation. Reportedly, police officials who happen to be from the same caste as the dacoits routinely give them leeway. For their part, the dacoits have built trenches from where they have a bird’s eye view of all police movement and can thereby easily outmanoeuvre them. It is evident that the security personnel are also suffering from low morale, as the dacoits routinely elude them, even making videos of their attacks on police pickets and posting them on social media. One senior retired police official actually said that calling on the army to dismantle the dacoits’ network is the only solution, as it is not possible for the police to tackle them on its own.

The authorities in Sindh must take this matter seriously. The cops must be better equipped and trained to deal with the bandits and regain the trust of the community. Their salaries, equipment and capacity must be improved for them to be able to thwart these criminals. And even if the army is called in for a targeted operation, the police force must be given the resources it needs to maintain peace in the area.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2023