ISLAMABAD: The capital police reported a decrease in crime from Jan 1 to Aug 17, compared to the same period last year.

The decrease was seen in a number of criminal activities such as robberies, snatching, and automobile-thefts, they added. However, there was an increase in dacoity incidents in the capital during the current year as compared to the previous year, the police said.

According to data provided by the police, incidents of major crimes in the capital dropped to 5,148 during this period in 2024, down from 5,831 in 2023. Robberies fell to 1,171 incidents in 2024 from 1,456 in 2023.

Snatching incidents, commonly referred to as street crime, decreased to 672 in 2024 from 820 in 2023. There were 12 incidents of murder during robberies in both 2023 and 2024. The number of car snatching incidents remained unchanged at 29 in both years. Motorcycle snatching slightly decreased to 402 in 2024, compared to 409 in 2023. The number of other vehicles snatching rose from two in 2023 to three in 2024.

Vehicle (four-wheeler) thefts also saw a decline, with 307 cases reported in 2024, compared to 507 in 2023. Motorcycle thefts decreased to 2,383 in 2024, from 2,451 in 2023.

However, the police noted an increase in the number of dacoity incidents, rising to 37 in 2024 from 10 in 2023. Additionally, murder incidents increased to 117 in 2024, up from 98 in 2023. Kidnapping for ransom incidents remained constant, with three cases reported in both years.

Meanwhile, a robber beat and injured a man during a motorcycle snatching incident, police said on Monday.

The robber in disguise of a passenger booked a motorcycle of online riding service from Pirwadhi to E-12, they said, adding that after reaching E-12 the robber asked him to stop the motorcycle and shortly started beating him black and blue.

Later, he snatched his motorcycle and a helmet from him and escaped, they said, adding that later the injured, identified as Adeel Ahmed, was taken to hospital for medical assistance.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2024