A recent study has found that more than two-thirds of the population of Karachi has experienced some form of street crime, one way or the other. It was also revealed that almost one-fourth have directly suffered a loss due to the prevailing situation of armed robberies and snatching of valuables at gunpoint.
In its recent study, Pulse Consultants reached out to hundreds of people in Karachi and asked them about their experiences regarding growing street crimes in the metropolis.
Apart from the two-thirds population who directly know the victims of street crimes in their circle, almost a quarter of them are victims by themselves of such incidents.
The study, carried out among people aged between 16 years and 55 years, says that 23pc of Karachiites have directly lost belongings to street criminals.
It emerged just days after the street crimes data compiled by police surfaced showing an increase in number between January and September compared to the same period of the last year. The data shows that there was an increase in the snatching of mobile phones and motorbikes and the theft of four-wheelers and two-wheelers.
However, the official data is not an accurate indicator of the situation on the ground as it is an open secret that countless people who have fallen prey to street crimes in the metropolis during the same period either decide not to approach the police due to a huge trust deficit or their FIRs are not registered by law-enforcers.
