In order to improve the performance of the police in controlling crimes in Karachi, chief of police Saud Mirza requested the government provide mobile detectors, access to NADRA and mobile phone company databases.
Mirza believed that unless the people start owning the police, there is little hope for them to improve. “I assure you that the police are ready for positive change and we will not let you down in the fight against crimes,” he said. He hoped that the law enforcers would soon overcome extortion and land grabbing.
Mirza, accompanied by Sindh Inspector-General Police Fayyaz Leghari, was speaking to a group of industrialists belonging to the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) on Saturday.
Leghari promised that more police personnel would be deployed in sensitive neighbourhoods, including industrial areas, to control the rising cases of extortion and land grabbing. With its limited resources, the Sindh Police will move some policemen from the relatively safe areas of Karachi to the areas where the crime rate is high, he explained.
“We know the importance of Karachi. If Karachi gets a bad reputation owing to security then it is a bad reputation for the entire country,” he said.
He requested the businessmen to trust the police and inform them, without any fear, if any gang of extortionists threatens them. “We need your help in this fight. We assure you that the police will soon eradicate extortion gangs and land grabbers from the city,” he added.
The police will also set up check posts at the 12 entry and exit points of the industrial areas of Landhi and Korangi, he promised.
Meanwhile, Mirza told the industrialists about a patrolling plan that the police are working on. A proposal has been sent for a police station in Korangi Industrial Area. “We know that extortion and land grabbing have become top issues for the police and we are aware of the land grabbing cases in Korangi Industrial Area. We will resolve them case by case,” he said.
KATI chairman Syed Johar Ali Qandhari urged the CCPO and Sindh IGP to take action against land grabbers, who have been using the flags of political parties as a shield. “These land grabbers also have the support of political figures who discourage midlevel police officials from taking action against them,” he alleged. “This is where high-level police officials should intervene to help protect precious industrial land.”
Other KATI representatives also asked the government to raise the salaries of Sindh police at least to the level of the Punjab police to improve their performance. They appreciated the efforts of police officers who have busted gangs in industrial areas. They presented shields of appreciation to these officers through Leghari.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2011.
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