Central databank of stolen vehicles, suspects involved to be set up

The Sindh police and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) will set up a central databank of stolen, snatched and lost vehicles, and the suspects involved at provincial level.

The decision was taken on Monday during a meeting Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon chaired at the Central Police Office to review the progress in cases of stolen, snatched and lost vehicles, and the police operations conducted. The police, the Sindh Smart Surveillance System (S4) and other agencies will record the relevant data in the app, and also ensure all possible measures at all levels to beef up action against the scrap dealers involved in the sale and purchase of stolen goods.

The Special Branch chief said action has been taken against 912 scrap dealers this year, with 74 of them arrested and 67 FIRs registered against them for purchasing stolen goods. The Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC) chief said the records of vehicles involved in hit-and-run on highways also need to be included in the databank.

The CPLC’s representative said that according to their data, there has been a clear decrease in crime this year compared to last year. Karachi police chief Javed Alam Odho said the crime data of the city police and the CPLC is more or less uniform and authentic, but strong links between institutions, units and districts are the key to reducing crime.

IG Memon ordered that all the SHOs would not only ensure the registration of FIRs and data of stolen, snatched and lost vehicles but also all the necessary information related to the crimes and the suspects involved in them in the app.

He said all the officers should ensure strict action against scrap dealers buying and selling stolen goods. With the data of stolen and snatched vehicles, and the suspects involved, the noose around the suspects’ necks will definitely be tightened, he added.

He stressed that the IT department should develop an app in which the CPLC, Police 15, the Special Branch, the AVLC, the district police, the S4 and other agencies can register data of the suspects involved in vehicle thefts to ensure that the data can be used to help create a history of crimes, the modus operandi and the suspects involved.

Separately, the AVLC returned car owners their stolen vehicles after they were recovered from different cities of the Shangla and Lower Dir districts, and Lahore. The AVLC chief congratulated the owners on getting their vehicles back, requesting them to use modern technology and take appropriate precautionary measures to ensure the safety of their vehicles.