‘Gangs engage criminals from outside for Eid’

Islamabad: Keeping a step ahead of the police, the criminal gangs in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have decided to exchange their members, specialising in petty thefts, cell phone and purse snatching, pickpockets, burglaries and other criminal activities during Eid holidays, an experienced police officer attached with an investigation agency, said.

It was reliably learnt from sources in Islamabad and Rawalpindi police that they had already prepared lists of criminal gangs and their operatives, putting some of them under detention on one pretext or the other while heightening surveillance on others.

However, the source of concern for the police is that these gangs have completely changed the strategy and now they have already engaged criminals, expert in street crimes from other cities and in some cases even from other provinces to come to the twin cities.

A senior police officer from the operations side said that best efforts have been made and a comprehensive Eid policing strategy has been adopted, engaging communities, including clergy to create awareness amongst people to take effective preventive and safety measures before and during Eid holidays. However, he conceded that these ‘imported criminals’ from other cities or provinces by the criminal gangs has become a major source of concern for Islamabad Police.

He said that the most worrisome are the Afghan gangs and individuals who have been operating in wider circles while staying in touch with each other. They quickly move out of the area where they have committed a crime, leaving behind no trace or tracks.

On the other hand the Islamabad Police has established a data base of criminals in the federal capital and they are being monitored regularly. But because of lack of resources and manpower their surveillance has become increasingly difficult, almost impossible.

“And now this new strategy being adopted by these criminal gangs to ‘import’ criminals from other cities and even provinces, especially for Eid holidays has become a big source of concern for us,” the police officer confided.

This presumption is based on the latest evaluation by police, which reveals that most of the local criminals have disappeared on one hand while there is a sharp surge in criminal activities over the last couple of weeks.

He said that the prevailing situation has made it even more important to seek cooperation from the public and there is a strong need for community policing in these days to prevent thefts, burglaries and street crimes like purse and cell phone snatching, shop lifting and pick pocketing. “Islamabad Police has already launched a consolidated public awareness campaign, urging people to take effective preventive measures like securing their homes if they are leaving town for the Eid holidays. “These could be jointly engaging private security guards on daily basis for a street. If there are security cameras installed, it should be made secure to keep monitoring and recording on 24 hours basis. Stop delivery of newspapers during the holidays because the newspapers left abandoned in the porch of house indicate the premises is vacant and it becomes vulnerable for theft or burglary,” the police officer said.