City police chief wants trackers on new motorcycles

Karachi
In a move that would make motorcycles costly, city police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo has suggested that new motorcycles without a tracking device should not be registered in the city.
Citing the theft and snatching of around 22,474 motorcycles in 2014 and another 7,248 motorcycles till May 27 this year in the Karachi, the additional inspector general of police said the only way to control the theft and snatching of two-wheelers was to fit tracking devices to them.
In a letter to Sindh IGP Ghulam Hyder Jamali, he recommended him to request the provincial excise and taxation department not to register any new motorcycles without trackers.
Most new cars are being registered by the authorities after the installation of trackers, and this practice has reduced incidents of carjacking and theft in Karachi, but incidents of motorcycle-snatching and theft are increasing with each passing day.
Almost every criminal caught by the city police carries a stolen or a snatched motorcycle, while almost every incident of terrorism, from target killings to motorcycle-borne improvised explosive devices explosions, are carried out by using stolen and snatched motorbikes.
Police officials said on Thursday much deliberation was required at the government level before the implementation of the suggestion as it would further increase the prices of motorcycles in the province.
They said chances of newly-purchased motorcycles’ theft and snatching were quite high in Karachi as they were not only used by local criminals but also smuggled out to other parts of Sindh and Balochistan, where they were sold and used with new registration plates.
If a stolen or snatched two-wheeler is on the road in Karachi, it is quite impossible for law enforcers to single it out among the millions of motorbikes, which commuters use daily to travel to and from their workplace.
“The only way to recover and track down the culprits behind the theft and snatching of motorcycles is the installation of a tracking device,” a police official said.
An impractical suggestion
Commenting on the suggestion, Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) chief Ahmed Chinoy thought it was a good suggestion but it would be difficult to make feasible and practical.
“First of all, the installation of a tracking device in a commercial vehicle is not mandatory and owners cannot be asked to install the device, while the price issue would also be an impediment in fitting two-wheelers with trackers,” he added.
A trackers’ company expert said it was a “ridiculous” idea and perhaps sold to the Karachi police chief by some people with vested interests. He said motorcycles did not have enough space to conceal a tracking device.
“Once thieves find out that motorbikes are fitted with trackers, they would disable them first and then take away the motorcycle easily,” he said.
He hinted that perhaps police officials, especially high-ups of the Anti-Car Lifting Cell, were trying to favour some tracking company. He added that before floating such ridiculous ideas, the police high-ups should consult experts.