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 during the holy month of Ramadan, 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. At this time, as the last decade of Ramadan is going on, people are forced to visit the markets for the essential Eid 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.  As the last Ashra of the holy month has begun, the incidents have further increased and on the average, a dozens of street crimes are reported in Karachi every day, while according to analysts, the actual number is much higher, as most cases go unreported.  The traders and business community is also worried about the worsening situation.

Business activities badly affected due to street crimes as lawlessness and street crimes in Karachi have kept traders in fear.

The factory workers are not ready to come to work at night due to fear and dread of the dacoits and street criminals.

No one denies that the main causes of street crime are inflation and unemployment, but crime control is the job of the police. They have to take steps for it.

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. The crime rate in Lahore has certainly increased, but it is not an unusual situation.

Though the Police has destroyed many dangerous criminal gangs in the city, but complete elimination of crimes is possible only with equal distribution of resources.

Published in The Daily National Courier, April, 13 2023

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