Wake-up call from police chief as force’s weaknesses skewered

While police officers run gambling dens, criminals rule the roost in Karachi, said AIG Karachi.

KARACHI:

At the police darbar held at the Garden police headquarters on Saturday, the chief of Karachi police held his own force responsible for Karachi’s horrendous crime rate.

While police officers run gambling dens, criminals rule the roost in Karachi, said Iqbal Mehmood, the additional inspector general of Karachi. “One of the main reasons for the rise in crime is that police officers give priority to running gambling dens over controlling or taking measures to curb crime within their areas,” he said.

Inefficient policemen, robberies, vehicle snatchings, politico-ethnic and sectarian targeted killings all came up for discussion at the meeting presided over by Iqbal Mehmood.

Criticising the SHOs, he sarcastically said that they roam around their areas wearing starched cotton shalwar kameezes, but are unaware of any crime taking place. “[It is the] media that informs them about any mishaps within their areas,” he added.

“[Then] even if they arrive at a crime scene, the SHOs just stare at the faces of their seniors,” said Mehmood. “In the meanwhile, all evidence is lost, which severely hampers investigations.”

“While gamblers beat up policemen, the SHOs watch as silent spectators. He who does not have the courage to arrest a criminal will face the day when criminals will beat policemen inside their own police stations.”

The division SPs avoid visiting any injured police officer fearing they will have to foot the hospital bills or pay compensation. “This is also affecting the morale of the force,” the official added.

When Mehmood asked the North Nazimabad division SP, Latif Siddiqui, when he had last fired his weapon, the police officer replied that he had not even touched his weapon since his training days.

“[Siddiqui] will deal with criminals by throwing stones at them,” scoffed the additional IG.

About the DSPs, he said they spend time in their air-conditioned rooms rather than patrolling their areas. How will the situation improve when all the superintendents and SHOs are appointed on references, Mehmood lamented. “Police officers should straighten up and stop their friends [politicians and bureaucrats] from calling me,” he warned.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2012.