Another year has come to a close and with it, alarming statistics of street crimes have been shared.
Sindh in general but Karachi, in particular, has been faced with lawlessness in various realms over the past several months, resulting in a sharp rise in crimes of various dimensions.
While police continue to toot their own horn and claim that the law and order situation has improved in the city, the truth remains that a large number of people have fallen prey to various crime circles.
As the year 2021 drew to a close, many officials were found to be complaining about a lack of diesel and petrol, due to which the patrolling of police mobiles was affected.
Moreover, the issue of disrupted telephone lines of many police stations remained unresolved, with the respective departmental heads claiming to have written to the departments concerned for restoring the phone lines, but the requests continued to be pending.
The officials also claimed that despite winter already having started, they were still waiting for their jackets and sweaters.
With the police department facing its own set of problems, the menace of street crime has shattered the citizens’ confidence in the police.
The severity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that it has become usual for two to three people to fall victim to street crime in Karachi on a daily basis, with some of them being shot for resisting or, worse, being killed by the muggers.
According to the statistics compiled from various sources, including the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, during the year 2020, the number of four-wheelers that were snatched or stolen across Karachi was 1,721. During the year 2021 (until December 30), however, this number increased by 21 per cent to 2,076.
If the minimum value of a snatched or stolen car is considered to be Rs1 million, the loss of the 2,076 vehicles resulted in the citizens being deprived of Rs2.1 billion.
Similarly, during the year 2020, the number of two-wheelers that were snatched or stolen across Karachi was 37,707. During the year 2021 (until December 30), however, this number increased by 33 per cent to 50,308.
Apart from vehicle theft, another major issue continued to be the theft of mobile phones. During the year 2021 (until December 30), citizens were deprived of 25,059 phones, compared to 21,558 phones during the year 2020, showing an increase of 16 per cent.
If the minimum value of a snatched or stolen phone is considered to be Rs15,000, the loss of the 25,059 phones resulted in the citizens being deprived of Rs376 million.
Moreover, 15 ransom kidnappings, 23 extortion cases, 442 homicides and two bank robberies (March and November 2021) were reported until December 30, 2021, compared to two ransom kidnappings, 22 extortion cases, 377 homicides and one bank robbery during the year 2020.
