Rawalpindi crime ratio reaches new high

No sense of security inside homes or out on the roads; police discourage those who visit
police stations for lodging FIRs; junior police officials only present rosy picture to high-ups

Rawalpindi

In Rawalpindi, the crime situation has never been as bad as it is now. There is no feeling of security inside homes or out on the roads. Gangsters barge daily into the homes, shops, banks and other premises at all times of the day. Obvious of the consequences, they hold the inmates at gun point and loot whatever they can lay their hands on. Resist and they will kill you. Having accomplished their mission, these desperados’ brazenly escape from the scene even in the presence of the police, at times. In fact, they are known to feel safer when the police are around. Street crime too has increased visibly. A wave of insecurity has gripped the people virtually.  Operating as a strong criminals mafia, the criminals thrive on vehicle lifting, car and motorbike, mobile phone snatching, jewellery, cash and mobile snatching, through, even vengeful killings, abductions for ransom, land grabbing also continue unabated. Quite amazing, all these street crimes take place not only in the dark and lonely lanes of the towns and city but also in broad daylight in busy markets and main boulevards. Daring criminals are going for the quick strike, targeting pedestrians, snatching purses and mobile phone sets and lifting vehicles in different areas of the city. Car lifting and mobile phone snatching has become a favourite offence for the street criminals as they commit these offences within minutes.

“They are not average criminals and carjackers. They are getting away with thousands of rupees worth of mobile phone sets using the Grab-and-Dash”, a victim, who was deprived of a laptop, a mobile phone set and cash on gun point by bike-riding muggers at Double Road near Nawaz Sharif Park, said. “I, straightaway, rushed to New Town Police Station to lodge complaint, the duty officer refused to entertain me saying, why I go to the Double Road.”

Amidst prevailing trend of rising crime ratio, in Rawalpindi division and continuous notices as taken by some high-ups of city police, the city police personnel instead of taking pain to contain criminal elements once more came up with its typical crime-control techniques. There are frequent incidents reported in different police stations of Rawalpindi, where complainants visiting police stations are not only manhandled but also threatened by police personnel to withdraw their lodged complaints and cases.

During the last one year or more, incidents of street crime including mugging, robberies, burglaries, carjacking and theft, witnessed an alarming increase in Rawal Division as well as in Potohar and Saddar Police divisions of Rawalpindi district.

Seeing intensity of this alarming situation, RPO Wisal Fakhar Sultan Raja had warned police personnel to curb crimes or to get ready to face the departmental action in case of failure in busting criminal gangs. But amidst this warning on part of the responsible police chief to correct police apparatus, the police personnel deputed at police stations in Rawalpindi division, start threatening visitors of police station to lodge their complainants.

Citizens visiting police stations to lodge their complaints, are mistreated by not only lower police staff but also on part of seniors as well with sole objective to give impressions to their high-ups everything is going great with nominal record of criminal activities.

Bashir Ahmad, a resident of Adiyala Road, narrating his ordeal on part of police personnel said that, some burglars snatched my mobile in limits of Saddar-Bairuni Police Station and when I approached police, they started misbehaving with me, on account why I went there, what was I doing at that time in the vicinity of police limits, why was I carrying precious mobile with me. It means, the police personnel tiffs the complainant to the extent, he feels it easier to stay away from registering the complaint.

In this perspective, this typical police tactic is being employed on part of Rawalpindi police personnel to hinted high-ups that crime is under control in the garrison city. As once a complaint is registered, it comes automatically in notice of concerned police high-ups but lower police cadres are employing all tools to discourage and threaten citizens to register FIRs and lodge complaints in police stations.

It is worth mentioning here that RPO Rawalpindi had called in a meeting in January with CPO, SSP (Operation), SP Rawal, SP Pothar, SP Sadar Division, all DSPs and Station House Officers (SHOs). He warned that he would obtain information about each and every crime case registered in Rawalpindi division and would evaluate the performance by the police stations on the parameters of how many cases have been solved, how many gangs involved in street crimes busted and how much snatched valuables recovered, but all these tall claims proved nothing and police personnel deployed at police stations start deceiving high-ups by mishandling citizens and visitors visiting police stations to lodge their complaints and cases. With nominal registration of cases, in almost all three police divisions of the city, police is all set to satisfy their high-ups but gangs of criminals are free to take the city on rising index of criminal activities. Another aspect of the ignoring attitude of the story that none of the police officers including CPO Rawalpindi, responsible including for the maintain law and order in the district, was available for their comments.