Street crime continues to grow in Karachi, says AIG Javed Alam Odho

Islamabad, Pakistan: Street crime in Karachi is the biggest issue, said the additional Inspector General of Karachi Police, Javed Alam Odho, as per the reports shared by the Pakistan-based News International Newspaper. 

As per the details shared by the Asian News International (ANI), Odho outlined, the Karachi police have apprehended about 36,000 suspects in connection with various offences, in the last year. He mentioned in the statement that most of the people that commit crimes on the streets were identified through CCTV cameras. 

Odho stated, there are various street crimes that took place, but the people involved in those crimes are being arrested with the help of CCTV camera footage. He mentioned that the Safe City project is currently in the process of being introduced. 

He also asserted that they are keeping their focus on the cameras that are being installed in the city of Pakistan in collaboration with the public-private sector. In addition, the city police have been working on the project for the previous four years, as per the News International Newspaper.

Odho underlined that the business community, as well as business organisations of Karachi, are supporting the police officials in the project. He stated that the police, through the help of traders, have installed more than 5,000 cameras, while over 30,000 cameras have been installed all over Karachi. 

Along with this, the CCTV Camera footage has been an essential requirement in catching the murderers of Bilal, who had been shot dead a few days before, as per the Additional Inspector General. 

The News International report further stated that the camera had been installed at Nazimabad, Azizabad, as well as Malir City police stations, through collaboration with community policing of Karachi. 

Odho highlighted that more than 200 cameras had been installed in North Nazimabad. Additionally, the crime rate has considerably lessened in the police station of the city where the installation of the cameras has been done. 

As the Safe City project will complete, people will witness a clear reduction in street crime, said Odho. 

Recently, in the middle of the deteriorating law and order situation in Pakistan, the city has observed an “alarming increase” in crime on the streets, made worse by the recent floods, as per the Geo News.  

Moreover, a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee took place on Friday under the chair of Senator Mohsin Aziz, where the police officers inspected the overall law and order situation of Karachi and addressed concerns over the sudden increase in crimes in the street.  

As per the Geo News, they thoroughly evaluated the Sindh Police’s effectiveness in stopping the crimes in street crimes such as theft, robbery, abduction, murder, and target murders.

The police officials of the city of Pakistan shared the information with the committee that there had been an “exceptional spike” in street crimes in the city following the recent rains, as well as they also mentioned that the police personnel had been instructed to file FIRs. 

The police officials shared the statistics on the instances, highlighting that 42,669 criminal incidences were noted in 2011, 39,694 in 2015. Also, 61,244 in 2020, as well as 84,045 in 2021.

In addition, according to Geo News, 385 persons died in 2018, and 393 died in 2021, while 369 alleged killers were detained up to August 31, 2022.