When it comes to street crimes, no one appears to be safe in Karachi

However, the incidents of ‘big’ crimes have been reduced in the city, according to local police

KARACHI: Sindh Police chief Dr Kaleem Imam has said that there are various factors behind the rise in the incidence of street crimes and they must be addressed if the menace is to be eliminated. “I am a resident of Karachi. My brother and nephew have been looted in Karachi,” said IGP Dr Kaleem Imam. “Even my mother-in-law was deprived of her valuables. Imagine my personal life at the moment,” he told participants at a workshop on Community Policing for Responsive Governance.

According to Dr Imam, the police work with great determination and diligence but when something happens, it is they who face criticism. The general perception about the police, he lamented, is that they abuse their authority and are disrespectful towards citizens. “People also have concerns regarding the way investigations are carried out by the police,” said Dr Imam.

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At the same time, police also complain about citizens not cooperating with them by informing them about crimes taking place in the city and appearing in courts as witnesses or to give their statements. “Being an IG, I try to boost the morale of our police officials and also that the citizens see the police as their well-wishers while the lawbreakers understand that the police is an unbreakable force against them,” he explained.

“Police officials work 10 to 12 hours a day,” said the IGP, adding that the purpose and meaning of community policing were public-friendly policing, public service and promotion of friendly environment on every level so that the citizens and police defeat criminal elements together.

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The police chief was of the view that his department has controlled the crime rate in the city to a great extent. “The incidence of ‘big’ crimes has been reduced in the city,” he said, adding that the police were working day and night to combat street crimes and the ongoing operations and arrests of several accused were proof of it.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2019.