Sindh

Citizens paying the 'price' for security

Policemen deployed in Karachi to avert possible terror attacks are accepting bribes from commuters.

Express November 21, 2010

KARACHI: Policemen deployed at Shahra-e-Faisal after the Crime Investigations Department (CID) building blast in Karachi, have been involved in extortion and taking bribes from citizens in the name of security checking.

Due to the increase in target killings, and in the wake of the CID building attack, security in Karachi has been beefed up and checking points have been set up in various parts of the city as an added security measure.

Express 24/7 correspondent Ahmed Jung reports that these checking points that were established to safeguard citizens against possible threats are being misused by police officials to accept bribes from commuters who cannot provide documents or licenses required for identification purposes. Express News aired footage that showed policemen in different areas of the metropolis accepting bribes from commuters.

Jung reported that the visuals being aired show policemen in two different police areas of Jamshed Town and Saddar Town, which are connected to Shahra-e-Faisal, one of the most important roads in Karachi.

Jamshed Town’s District Police Officer (DPO) Amir Farooqi said he will be suspending all police officials involved in the incident once Express News provides footage as evidence.

He said he has seen the visuals being aired on television and will suspend all police officials under his jurisdiction if the evidence supports their involvement in accepting bribes.

DPO of Saddar Town Javed Sheikh has not commented on what action will be taken against the police officials.

COMMENTS (24)

Rizwan T Khan | 14 years ago | Reply Only the traffic police has the legal authority to stop any car/bike and ask for documents. No other police has this right. Only right they have is to check with CPLC under whose name the car is. You can simply give them the name and DONT show the documents. So stop showing your car/bike documents to these rishwat khours. Now if any regular traffic police guy asks for documents, simply ask him for the legal doc which states that he is authorized to check your car. You will see how he would try to change the topic and try to further pressure you as he does not. Which is a clear indication that he does not have no right. Confidence is the only key to handle any situation especially when it comes to our govt officials.

Ameer Hamza | 14 years ago | Reply That's very common for a Punjabi-dominated Karachi police. These officials pay huge sums to get their jobs in Karachi and when they do get the postings here, thanks much to senior Punjabi police wallas, they extort us pure Karachi wallas in the name of security as is so rightly informed by Express Tribune. I drive daily from PECHS area to Defence and to Clifton and these drug-peddler police wallas eye me and everyone else in small cars like Mehran and Alto and when they see that someone looks sharif guy, they stop, search and ask for documents which don't exist anymore. For example, what is the need for a tax document when you have got the relevant sticker stuck on your windscreen? Punjabi-speaking police of Karachi asks for such non-sense documents and when you don't produce they threaten you with FIR, car locking or else jail term. So you pay them Rs.50 and rejoice, like I did, when CID is blown up.

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Umar farooq | 14 years ago | Reply If u want to see organized police corruption in Karachi, go to Karachi airport and watch how every yellow taxi driver in the departure area is made to pay a fee to the police standing there. Happens every single day without fail under the gaze of cameras

Ali Haider | 14 years ago | Reply Is this news?

Liaquat Ali | 14 years ago | Reply The Pakistan Police still operates under the Police Act of 1861, which was enacted to protect the gora sab from the public. It was never meant to provide protection to the public. The protection of the public through Pakistan Police working under the Police Act of 1861 is a wishful thinking of some. Now the Pakistani police protects the brown sab from the other brown sabs. Check this out http://tinyurl.com/2d98gub

Ahmer Ali | 14 years ago | Reply Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.This is not new for the nation that the police demand bribery and the citizens pay the price for security because the highly ranked police officials are also involved in this regard because bribery is distributed from constable to key post police officers and the much more bribery you pay the police officers the much more secure and safe you are in Pakistan.By seeing the corrupt and NRO certified leaders doing corruption every one thinks that corruption is his/her basic living right.Where all the atmosphere you find corrupt from grass-root level especially in our leaders then how can you expect honesty and sincerity from the others?All the Pakistani nation is used of it.

Mohsin Kazmi | 14 years ago | Reply We have to pay any how to Mafia or Police. Pakistan Zindabad May God Bless Our Pakistan.

Kamal Haider | 14 years ago | Reply Pakistanis don't want to pay a single penny, whenever it comes to imposing taxes, they make angry faces and want all the privileges of a developed society.

REHAN SAGHIR BURNEY | 14 years ago | Reply Dear Innocents Pakistani peoples the point is most of peoples join police for a high income the police man you are watching in the photo is getting traning how to become a rich police officer how you can make happy to the higher officer how you can give bribe to become a SHO have you guys ever thought how a SHO can have a big car a big banglow big bank balance cause he gets bribe do illegal stuff & allow and give share to there higher athorities if you want to remove crime from Pakistan then just finished police department from Pakistan I can make you sure 1000000000..% 90% crime will be stoped. Try it if you wanna see

Anwar Hasan | 14 years ago | Reply There is corruption from top to bottom. Everyone is a share holder. If the top ones were not taking bribes, this practice would have long stopped.

Ali Farooqui | 14 years ago | Reply What?? policemen take bribes in Karachi! we never knew ....

Walli | 14 years ago | Reply Pakistan say zinda bhagg...........

The Only Normal Person Here. | 14 years ago | Reply Pakistan ka Allah Hafiz.

Shakeel Iqbal | 14 years ago | Reply Almost all institutes are corrupt in Pakistan. Some takes bribe by extorting and some takes professionally. Only police is not corrupt here, WAPDA, SUI Northern Gas and Cantoment Board also takes bribe for your genuine work. i also observe very interested fact, now peoples also give bribe very easily to these official for their work, because they know without bribe these official will delay their work. Government should take steps to remove corruption specially where public dealing takes place.

Hafiz shah Ali | 14 years ago | Reply AIM: your facts are not current: The payscale range of police officers of two cities is given as an example New York Police Department (NYPD) $76,646 - $88,494 The City of Chicago, Illinois $68,784 - $77,465 But the real issue if why are we mocking these small guys: what about MNAs/MPAs who submitted false/fake degrees to contest elections what about the NRO.what about those who have overseas swiss bank accounts and flats in London. Corruption is bad,it is eveil and it needs to be eliminated from all tiers of the society.

humanflux | 14 years ago | Reply @AIM can you provide a source for that figure please?

Sani Raza | 14 years ago | Reply Uniformed Dacoits

Khan | 14 years ago | Reply I do not see any money. Could have been anything. Stop maligning the security forces please.

Syed A. Mateen | 14 years ago | Reply The ever corrupt police cannot change its attitude. It is the mind set of the police that it must misuse the power of uniform. Police officials taking bribe needs a good chitrol by the people in open public places, who are forced to pay bribe to these corrupt police officials.

AIM | 14 years ago | Reply @stone age, I know what you mean to say. You cant justify their extortion by making their low salary a reason. No policeman is paid in millions in any country. Even in the US a constable is paid not more than US 2500 a month which is as much as the salary of a daily wager in the US.

stone age | 14 years ago | Reply we need to think why this police man taking money ? lets find out...

AIM | 14 years ago | Reply Why you guys in the media think this is sort of a breaking news?!!! I come across these civilized-robbers everyday. If you a have a motorbike and lives in Karachi, you have too keep their Chai Pani in your front pocket, no matter what you carry with you.

Talha | 14 years ago | Reply Pakistan Zindabad or Barbad. You decide.

Aftab Kenneth Wilson | 14 years ago | Reply If Police and all related security agencies starts working in the way prescribed in the book of their training then 75% crime rate will come down including terrorism. All this is going in a very classical way in convenience with the lower judiciary. If the government is really interested in good governance then fish in those who are working in these department. Mind you, this is a personal experience of 75% population of this country.

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