As the security heightens, so does the carjacking

Over 160 cars stolen or snatched during the last four months; 595 cars were snatched or stolen last year.

ISLAMABAD:

Despite fortifying the capital city by erecting security checkpoints and barricades on almost all major roads as well as entry and exit points, the police have failed to control the ever-increasing incidents of carjacking.

The first four months of this year witnessed an alarming increase in crime as admitted recently by the Minister of Interior, Rehman Malik in the National Assembly. The minister informed the lower house of parliament last week that 163 vehicles were either snatched or stolen from the city this year so far. Last year, 595 cars were either snatched or stolen.

The minister, however, attributed the increase in crime to multiple reasons with the city landscape and its proximity to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) as the prime factors.

“It hardly takes few minutes for the culprits to get the vehicle out of Islamabad as the farthest end of the city is at a 30 minutes drive from the centre of the city,” said the minister. He added that easy access to Punjab and K-P benefitted the criminals in escaping from the police.

“Low conviction rate” was another reason why the carjackers could not be effectively deterred by the police, said the minister. He said the crime of carjacking has become a lucrative job for people involved in it.

The carjackers always changed their modus operandi to dodge the police and engineered techniques to break into vehicles well-protected against theft.

Replying to a question, the minister assured the members of the house that concrete steps were taken by the police to control the crime.

‘The federal capital has been divided into 44 beats and experienced officers have been deputed at each beat to watch the activities of suspects,” said the minister.

He added that 54 checkpoints have been established at different entry and exit points of the city, while 20 Falcons and 51 Eagles have been deputed to enhance patrolling in the sectors worst hit by the incidents of carjacking.

Moreover, the minister informed the house that during 2010-11, a total number of 109 cases of carjacking and snatching were registered. Of these, 58 cars were recovered.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2011.