Islamabad sees its worst year ever for crimes

In 2021, incidents of murder, robbery, burglary, street crime, kidnappings rose by 500%

ISLAMABAD:

Despite strict security arrangements and conduct of search operations and constant police patrolling, incidents of murder, armed robbery, attempted murder, harassment, firing, burglary, street crime, and kidnapping of young girls increased by 500 per cent in the federal capital in the outgoing year.

The year 2021 witnessed record crimes since the establishment of the federal capital.

According to the record book of the federal police, in 2021, more than 13,000 cases were registered in 22 police stations across the district. The ratio of registered cases was 8,800 in 2020.

In 2021, over 6,500 incidents of armed robbery, street crime, burglary, car theft and motorcycle theft incidents were reported as compared to 1,087 in 2020.

Similarly, in 2021, 600 incidents of abduction of girls were reported in the federal capital as compared to 469 cases in 2020.

In 2021, 140 murder cases were reported as compared to 313 in 2020.

Police sources said that in the year 2021, the incidents of harassment of women, young girls and others also alarmingly increased. In 2021 500 such incidents were reported as compared to 3030 in the year 2020. All police stations registered a record number of complaints after Islamabad Police Inspector-General Muhammad Ahsan Younis issued strict orders following assuming charge of the office on December 6.

Prior to this, usually, police officials registered fewer cases to exhibit fake performance.

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A total of 3,400 incidents of theft, robbery, street crime and other crimes were reported in 2021 as compared to 850 in 2020. Similarly, in 2021, the traffic police could not enforce rules 100 per cent which resulted in the death of 125 people and serious injuries to 500 as compared to 95 in 2020.

In 2021, despite the orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan to take drastic measures to save the youth of the scourge of drugs, instead of dismantling the organised drug trafficking network throughout the year, the federal police cracked down on small drug dealers. A total of 1,155 drug dealers were nabbed as compared to 1400 in the year 2020. In addition, in 2021, the federal police made only 400 seizures.

In the same period, all police stations registered a record 1,150 cases against bogus checks as compared to 900 in 2020.

A senior officer of the federal police told The Express Tribune that nepotism and recommendations for appointing subordinate officers including SHOs on important posts marred the overall performance of the police forces.

“Serious crimes are at an all-time high due to the lack of effective patrolling,” he said wishing not to be quoted. In response to a question, he said that the ‘Thana culture’ remained the same this year as well and people could not get justice from the police in a true sense unless we change it.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2021.