Cops or robbers?

When the enforcers of the law become its violators, the very foundation of public trust crumbles. The recent arrest of a serving policeman, allegedly the mastermind behind a gang stealing luxury vehicles in Karachi's upscale neighbourhoods, is a damning indictment of the rot within the police force that enables, protects and, in many cases, promotes such individuals.

The revelations are as predictable as they are disturbing. Karachi's residents have long suspected that elements within law enforcement are complicit in the very crimes they are tasked with preventing. But how does a criminal network thrive under police watch unless the police themselves are involved? The breakdown of law and order does not stop there. A transporter from North Karachi learned this the hard way when he was robbed at gunpoint last month - only to be further harassed and intimidated by the police when he sought justice. The Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell may have arrested one of its own, but it is unlikely that this marks the beginning of a broader crackdown. How many more officers are running similar operations? How many reports of police involvement in criminal activities are buried, dismissed or quietly "handled" behind closed doors? The Sindh government's silence on the matter is telling.

What Karachi needs is not another token arrest but a full-scale purge of corrupt elements within the police force. Strict accountability and an end to the culture of impunity are long overdue. Furthermore, internal mechanisms must be strengthened, with regular audits and undercover investigations. A culture of impunity has allowed corruption to fester within the force for too long. If this continues, Karachi's police will become indistinguishable from the criminals they claim to fight.