Rising inflation and unemployment have increased the rate of street crimes. Most of the incidents of street crimes used to take place in the dark streets in the evening, now they are happening during the day and they are increasing significantly.

In the diary issued by the Punjab Police, there have been relatively more incidents of snatching mobile phones and cash from citizens. Looting is considered easier and safer. The easy sale of stolen mobile phones and jewelery on the black market is also a reason to boost the morale of criminals. Many people even lose their lives resisting street crimes and theft.

This situation is a question mark for security agencies. In recent days, there has been a big increase in street crimes in Rawalpindi Islamabad. Two motorcyclists tortured a woman walking on the road in broad daylight, dropped her on the ground and snatched her purse and escaped. 64 lakh thefts, robberies, 42 motorcycles and mobile phones were taken from many people from different areas. 423 incidents were reported in Lahore in 24 hours.

 According to the record book of the federal police, more than 13 thousand cases were registered in 22 police stations across the district in 2021.

In 2020, there were 45 thousand crimes in Karachi annually, which increased to 84 thousand in 2021 and now their number is much higher. The alarming increase in the crime rate is a cause for concern and is not a problem of a single city but of the entire country.

There is a need to adopt a solid strategy to deal with street crimes. Although street crime exists in many small and big cities of the country in one form or another, but in Karachi, the largest city and commercial center of Pakistan, street crimes have increased so much that people are targeted by criminals despite all precautions.

On the average, around one hundred and thirty street crimes are reported every day since the start of the holy month.

Every few minutes, a Karachiite loses valuables including mobile phones and cash. The alarming thing is that the suspects do not even delay in firing during the incident on resistance, due to which the people visiting the markets are scared.

The sad thing is that the activities of street criminals are at their peak and the incidents are increasing with each passing day. Due to the deployment of a large number of police personnel on census duty, it is not possible to allocate the entire force to stop the activities of criminals. Over the past years, if not decades, the situation of street crimes in the megapolis is that it is difficult to find every other citizen who has not fallen into the hands of street criminals at least once. From pedestrians to motorcyclists and car riders, everyone is a target for criminals.

According to police,  street crime increased by 7 percent last year, however, the Karachi has the low number of killings on resistance during street crimes as compared to other cities. A police data shows that a hundred citizens lost lives on resistance during street crimes in the city.

During the first month of the current year, over seven thousands street crimes were reported and the trend is continued till now. It is not that police do not take action and around nine thousands suspected street criminals were arrested last year while 110 suspects were arrested for extortion and over five thousands car-snatchers were held.

According to another data by Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) report on the soaring number of motorcycle and carjacking cases are a common occurrence in the mega city where stolen vehicles are sold at ease in specified markets where robbers thrive on by taking main share of the booty. 

 The automobile parts of stolen vehicles are also easily available in the city at low prices and there is no check on the such business. On the other hand, the citizens say that most of the street crimes go unreported and people avoid getting caught by the police. People have to visit the markets for the essential purchases, but most people seem scared.

Police officials say that plainclothes personnel have been deployed at various locations, but the seriousness of the situation requires that CCTV cameras be installed and continuous monitoring through them should also be paid attention to.

Citizens say that most of the street crimes go unreported and people avoid getting caught by the police.

Be it poverty, economic crisis or the unprecedented inflation, Pakistan’s most populous city has become a hotbed of street crimes once again.

The residents of Karachi, a city with a population of more than three crores, are again at the mercy of robbers these days. Armed robbers roam the city. They rob whomever they want, when they want and where they want, including the elderly and women, and do not hesitate to kill on resistance.

Experts also point to the economic situation and social inequalities as the main reasons for the rising crime rate in the city. During the current holy month, a number of civilians have been injured for resisting during robbery, dacoity and snatching incidents. Economic depression, social inequalities are also the factors. One would agree with Chairperson of the Department of Psychology, University of Karachi , who says  that poverty and unemployment are major causes of street crime among economic factors.

The main reason why adults, apart from teenagers, are involved in street crime is lack of morals and training.

These problems force the person or persons to commit crime in case of economic hardship. In psychology, the term ‘dysfunctional family’ is used for such families. In families where parents are unable to fulfill their duties, the environment of the home forces the children to opt for street crimes.

Families who are busy on the economic front for their survival and neglect the education of their children, their children get close to people involved in anti-social activities.

In Pakistan, street crimes are not only a problem of Karachi but also in other cities of the country.

When people move to big cities in search of employment, the crime rate increases along with the population pressure.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 01 2023

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