Unabated crime

The citizens of Pakistan’s largest city and commercial hub continue to fall victim to street crime. Cases of murder-robbery incre­ased manifold in June with at least 40 citizens murdered by street criminals. Data by the Citiz­ens-Police Liaison Comm­ittee (CPLC) revealed that robbers killed a total of 72 people during the first six months of 2024 and injured 254 others. Although Karachi’s police claim that street crimes are gradually declining, social media is full of stories and videos of brazen robberies. CPLC’s data further revealed that at least 10,304 cell phones have been snatched at gunpoint since the start of the year, with 1,414 snatched during June. The provincial government, despite tall promises, seems unable to control the street crime epidemic. Despite increased police pickets and checking, the numbers have hardly improved, showing a negligible decline in some categories while remaining static in others.

Policing a city of at least 20 million people is no easy task, but Karachi’s police force can learn a valuable lesson from other metropolitan police forces. The city is in dire need of increasing both the quantity and quality of its law enforcement, as the current force deployed is overstretched. Police reforms, long talked about, have never been drafted or implemented. The rate of crime in the port city demands a multi-faceted and comprehensive response from the authorities and this includes addressing economic challenges and issues plaguing the city’s police force. Authorities also need to rebuild trust between the force and local communities, as effective policing can only occur after the citizenry trusts those entrusted with its protection. Karachi’s political stakeholders also need to devise a way out and earn the trust and respect of the citizens by showing that they are serious about controlling the crime epidemic and that their efforts go beyond political statements.