Better policing? Crime down from last year: Pindi police

CPO says recovery ratio at 40 per cent in robberies, snatching and theft cases.

RAWALPINDI: Despite a decrease in the overall crime rate, residents of Rawalpindi are going through a tough year as 190 murder cases have so far been reported while they were deprived of over 1,100 vehicles in the last eight months.

People have been deprived of total 496 cars and 664 motorcycles in just over 2,400 crime incidents related to robbery, snatching, burglaries and theft in the last two quarters of the current year, statistics have revealed.

Since January to August, 12,103 cases have been registered in Rawalpindi. In the same period in 2014, 12,556 cases were registered.

A total of 190 cases of murder were registered while in the previous year within the same period, the number had reached 218. This year has witnessed no sectarian murders while six sectarian killings took place in 2014.

Nine people were killed when they put up a fight against robbers during robberies and snatching incidents. In 2014, 15 people had lost their lives in eight months in similar circumstances.

A total of 144 people were killed over personal enmities while 37 became a victim of blind murder this year. In 2014’s first eight months, personal enmities left 155 people dead and the number of blind murders had reached 42.

In 442 cases dealing with attempted murder and quarrels, 229 people were hurt. A total of 310 persons were injured in 539 cases in the first eight months of 2014. No increase or decrease was seen in kidnapping for ransom cases as eight incidents were reported in the first eight months of both years.

Twenty-five cases of gang rape have so far been registered against 32 cases reported in the same period last year while six police encounters have taken place in the last eight months while 11 encounters took place in that time last year.

City Police Officer Israr Abbasi said the decrease in crime was a result of aggressive policing and constant vigilance of suspects involved in robberies, snatching and theft who were released from jails.

Abbasi claimed the recovery ratio remained at 40 per cent in robberies, snatching and theft cases.

Crime breakdown

Nature of Crime	2014	2015
Murders during robberies	8	9
Blind murder	42	37
Enmity-related murders	155	144
Car theft/snatching	745	496
Motorbike theft/snatching	1,100	644
Burglaries	324	358
Theft	457	441
Attempted murder incidents	310	229
Kidnapping for ransom	8	8
Gang rape	35	25
Bank robberies	2	3
Jewellery shop robbery	4	0
Gambling	93	133
Other cases	3,900	5,600

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th,  2015.