272 search operations carried out in Peshawar since January 2015

PESHAWAR: More than one search and strike operation was carried out per day in the provincial capital since January 1 under the National Action Plan and it resulted in the arrest of at least 7,042 suspects, a source told The News.
Up to 272 search and strike operations were carried out in 227 days from January 1 to August 15, 2015. The ratio of the snap checking remained almost 10 per day. During the period, 2,177 snap checking points were set up where 21,675 suspects were held and later interrogated by the police.
The data compiled by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police revealed that search and strike operations were carried out and snap checking points were set up in Peshawar almost on a daily basis since the launch of the National Action Plan in the wake of the gruesome attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December last year. As many as 145 persons including 132 children were killed in the attack that shocked the entire country.
“The overall crime against persons has reduced during the current year to 1,244 from the 1,591 during the same period last year. The number of cases of crime against property has reduced from 808 to 731,” the document revealed.
Acts of terrorism have also gone down to 50 during this period from 158 compared with the corresponding period last year.
Special attention was given to the security of schools under the National Action Plan. The statistics of the police disclosed that the management of 4,890 schools was issued warning for having adopted inadequate security measures. Cases were lodged against 264 others. Overall 45,946 schools were checked during the drive under the National Action Plan.
“We focused on proactive policing by going after the terrorists and criminals instead of waiting for them to strike. This has worked well during the last many months,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Operations, Mian Saeed Ahmad told The News.
He added that apart from snap checking and search operations, the police regularly checked security at educational institutions, bus stands and other public places.
“There are 41 bus and coach stands in the city that were checked at least 1,390 times during the last almost eight months,” said Mian Saeed Ahmad , who took over as the police chief of operations in Peshawar city in the first week of January.
Eight cinemas in the city were checked 503 times and five cases were lodged against the cinemas’ management for negligence in providing security.
Besides, 10,938 hotels and inns were checked and cases were lodged against the management of 172 of them for not following the instructions regarding the security. Under the National Action Plan, action was taken for the misuse of loudspeakers throughout the country. In Peshawar, 263 cases were lodged and 309 people held for the violation.
The document disclosed that 7,226 Afghans living illegally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were held and 4,375 FIRs were lodged against them.
After introducing the law regarding tenants’ registration with the local police, action was taken against owners and tenants in 1100 cases. A total of 53,737 houses were checked by the cops since January 1. The police also arrested 854 people for having fake national identity cards and 458 others for attesting their documents.