LAHORE, Jan 12: Valencia Town has been witnessing rising incidents of robbery and theft for the last three months, but the society management as well as the police seem helpless to improve the security situation.

During the period, at least a dozen robbery and theft incidents were reported only in A and A-1 blocks, besides as many in the other ones, the latest occurring three days back.

The residents have termed the security arrangements made by the Valencia Town society below satisfactory, demanding more steps to improve the law and order in the area. Some of them allege that security guards hired by the society are also involved in these incidents.

Expressing dissatisfaction over police performance, they say despite lodging many applications for enhancing security and increasing patrolling, no improvement was observed.

A survey reveals that the town currently faces shortage of security guards, vehicles for patrolling, latest weapons, absence of streetlights and lack of proper boundary wall. Besides, it is also fighting a legal battle with the Naz Housing Society over alleged violation of boundary wall.

There are two close-circuit cameras installed at Gate I and II, but these are non-functional.

It is learnt that at least 18 security guards led by a supervisor left the job a month ago after the town’s society failed to fulfill their salary demands.

The society, offering only Rs4,000 to a guard and Rs6,000 to a supervisor, says it could not find suitable candidates for the jobs as no application had been received so far.

On the other hand, the existing employees complain that their salary is meager, and those who find a better opportunity leave the job.

There are 45 guards, three supervisors and a retired army major as security in charge to guard 10,000 kanal residential area comprising 19 blocks, six gates and seven unscheduled passages. Only 15 people are available for a single-shift duty.

The boundary wall is only 4-foot high at most of the places, and that too has been damaged on several spots.

Moreover, there is no police Chowki in the town, and the officials of Sattokatla and Haloki Chowkis off and on patrol the town.

“Requests like increase in number of security guards, establishment of a police Chowki, raising of boundary wall and thorough checking of vehicles on entrance and exit points, have been ignored by the management,” said a resident of C-Block.

He said criminals, mostly from nearby villages of Sattokatla and Haloki, and surrounding localities, made strikes in the town and returned to their hideouts.

Another resident of A-1 Block said despite frequent strikes by outlaws in the town, neither the society nor the police took any measures to improve the situation.

“Our house was burgled few days back, and when informed, an ASI from Sattokatla police station first asked about the exact loss and then refused to register a case when he was told that the loss was still being calculated,” he said.

Another resident, Waheed Raja, of C-Block also terms the security arrangements below satisfactory. He says last year a watchman in connivance with a society’s security guard, stole iron bars and other goods from his residence. The culprits were later captured.

He also deplored the lack of police patrolling in the area.

The guards argue that a man riding a cycle can’t nab criminals who are usually armed. They demand motorcycles and sophisticated arms for effective security.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Expatriates Coop Housing Society general manager Liaqat Aziz Pal said the society was making efforts to provide comprehensive security cover to its residents, admitting shortage of guards.

He said a retired major and at least a dozen more guards were being inducted, and the jobs had been advertised.

However, he admitted the guards, who were hired on a daily-wage basis, did not prove effective as they mostly quit the job after a short period.

He claimed the close-circuit cameras installed at the gates would start functioning in a week.

Pal said a special cable channel was also being launched so that the residents could be informed of security guidelines, society’s programmes and other necessary information.

He said the society had already circulated notices about security measures in all houses, and now it was the responsibility of the residents to act upon these instructions to make the area secure.