70pc of detained street criminals are junkies: Rangers DG

Sindh Rangers chief Maj Gen Mohammad Saeed said on Thursday that 70 per cent of the street criminals that the paramilitary force had detained in Karachi were drug addicts. “It is a matter of grave concern that this city has hardly 60 beds to rehabilitate addicts,” Saeed told a meeting at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI).

“We have to pull them out of addiction, and in this regard all the people, including the business and industrial community, philanthropists, civil society and provincial government, will have to play a major role.”

In response to the KCCI’s concerns over rising lawlessness, particularly the increase in street crime, he said the law and order situation of the metropolis was gradually improving. The year-wise statistics clearly indicate the descending trend in all the incidents, including target killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion, bank heists and street crime, he added.

“We are tackling street crime with an iron fist, as a total of 1,500 suspects were arrested by the Rangers over the past four months and handed over to the police.” Referring to the statistics recently released by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, the Rangers chief said that every criminal activity from terrorism to phone snatching had been in decline.

“As of July 31, the crime rate in Karachi is much lower than other cities around the world, including Ahmedabad, Mumbai, London and New York, which report more crimes despite being equipped with the latest technologies and where every vehicle is tagged with radio-frequency identification (RFID).”

He said the Rangers had asked the local motorbike manufacturers to tag their two-wheelers with RFID to help trace them, but they showed reluctance due to additional costs. The paramilitary force has created a separate 24-hour hotline that is actively engaged in listening to and resolving the issues of the business and industrial community, he added.

Businessmen Group Chairman and former KCCI president Siraj Kassam Teli appreciated Saeed for maintaining a commendable relationship with the chamber to resolve the issues of the business and industrial community.

Teli said that at the time the Karachi operation was started in September 2013, the Rangers were given the major responsibilities of tackling kidnappings, extortions, target killings and terrorism.

“Around 80 to 90 per cent success has been achieved in all these domains, which the business and industrial community highly appreciates, but some other serious criminal activities falling under the purview of the police department require the Rangers’ intervention.”

He said the KCCI had repeatedly expressed concerns over politicisation of the police department, but it received a lot of criticism from political parties. “It is a matter of concern that to date 35 per cent of police recruitments have been on political basis.”

The police department’s performance cannot improve until it is rid of politically affiliated officers and until the government stops controlling it, he added. “Since the police can’t or don’t want to control street crime, the Rangers will have to take over.” —