Is poverty behind surging crime?

Some city elders, including retired public servants, say crime increases when we close our eyes to poverty spreading around us and do not think of any child turning a thief or pickpocket in our neighbourhood.
A city elder living near Kali Tanki at Saidpur Road got immersed in the Holy Quran for guidance to help solve people's social and economic problems. Hard-pressed people came to his residence after learning the old man had a kind heart for the downtrodden.
They all got involved in serious discussion on how to share each other's worries and how best to serve the masses sandwiched between extremists and militants, on one side, and corruption and poverty, on the other.
A former PAF employee Iftikhar Hussain disclosed his red-colour Suzuki car had been stolen in broad daylight from his office, near the General Post Office, on The Mall. General store-keeper Naseer Bangash, construction contractor Arshad Malik and Mubin confirmed two motor-cars were lifted from Rawal Town (former Gowala Colony). Professor Akhlaque revealed his Toyota stolen by a gang of car-lifters in the Blue Area had not been recovered by police.
That is not all. Meat seller Shera said a gang of thieves had stolen a sacrificial goat and two milk-producing she-goats at Fajr prayer. The man who had bought the 'bakra' for ten thousand rupees for Eidul Azha is a hard-working and honest fresh vegetable and fruit seller of Rawal Town of Islamabad. A thief stole ornaments after midnight from the house of a person who lives in a well-known colony near Rawat.
The debate participants agreed that one factor behind the rising anti-social activity is uncontrolled hike in food and energy prices.
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