Street crimes, going after mafias tough challenges for new CCPO

Bureau report

PESHAWAR: Bringing down the rising street crimes, making the crackdown on mafias a success, ensuring merit in postings and keeping a check

on the corrupt practices

in the force are some of the tough challenges that the new Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) has to face in the provincial capital.

The new CCPO Mohammad Ali Gandapur was serving as regional police officer (RPO) Mardan before he was posted in Peshawar in place of Karim Khan who has been appointed as the DIG Headquarters.

Mohammad Ali Gandapur has also worked as RPO Bannu, DIG Headquarters and on other key positions in the province. In Peshawar, he previously served as SP City. He also remained district police officer in many districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The CCPO on Tuesday assumed the charge of the office after he was

presented guard of honour.

Accompanied by the SSP Operations Zahoor Afridi and other officers, he laid floral wreaths at the memorial of the martyrs at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines.

Discouraging the corrupt elements and posting of competent and honest officers as sub-divisional police officers and station house officers will help the new police chief overcome the rising incidence of crime and go after the mafias involved in sale of ice and other drugs, land-grabbing, usury and extortion.

There have been many incidents in which people collecting money from currency dealers in Chowk Yadgar or banks were targeted by the armed robbers and snatchers.

There have also been incidents in the recent days in which armed men broke into houses and looted valuables and cash after making the entire family hostage.

Besides robberies and snatching, violence during these incidents has increased once again in the city. Two people were wounded in attempted robberies in the last few days. Many were wounded or even killed by the armed snatchers in recent months.

A number of station house officers were reshuffled during the last many months in a bid to improve the law and order situation, but this did not work. A station house officer was removed on Monday after a trader was robbed of Rs2 million in a daylight incident of snatching in the urban Sikandarpura.

During the last few days, a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of the Counter Terrorism

Department was also martyred in an armed attack on the outskirts of Peshawar.

Four people were wounded in the attack. Police officials said they are investigating the case from all angles.

In some cases, incidents of snatching are not reported by the police to show the seniors that everything is fine in their area of jurisdiction. In some of the incidents the members of the public are not reporting the cases to the police.

The sale and use of ice, heroin, hashish, liquor and other drugs in the city is another challenge for the new CCPO.

An aggressive campaign was launched by the city police against the gangs involved in these crimes during the last few weeks.