PESHAWAR: A police station located in the semi-tribal area close to the provincial capital has one of the lowest crime figures in the country.
The police station in Hassankhel, which was once part of the semi-tribal Frontier Region Peshawar, was established in 2019 after policing powers were extended to the newly merged districts.
The Hassankhel Police Station covers more area than most of the police stations in Peshawar. However, as per the official record, the ratio of street crimes and other incidents is one of the lowest in the limits of this police station for the last three years.
“Not a single incident of robbery, dacoity, kidnapping, car or motorbike snatching or lifting has been reported in the limits of Hassankhel Police Station during the entire 2021,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Saddar Waqar Ahmad confirmed when approached by The News.
He added the same was the ratio of most of the crimes in the year 2020 and 2019. The area along with the adjacent Darra Adamkhel was once a stronghold of militants. However, things have improved in this former semi-tribal area over the last many years.
The police record said that three incidents of murder, one attempted murder, five incidents of hurts, one case of abduction and two cases of burglary were reported in the jurisdiction of Hassankhel Police Station in 2021 so far.
Police during the current year recovered six AK 47, 20 rifles and as many pistols from the area.
Last year, as per the record, one incident of murder, one of attempted murder, two of hurts, one of burglary and two cases of theft were reported to the police in Hassankhel.
The cops recovered eight AK-47, 10 rifles and eight shotguns in 2020 from the area close to the gun-manufacturing town of Darra Adamkhel.
One can judge the law and order in Hassankhel by comparing the statistics with the nearby Badaber Police Station.
As per the record of the Badaber Police Station, the police registered 26 cases of murder, 49 of attempted murder, 17 incidents of hurts, three attacks on police, two incidents of abduction, two cases of robberies, as many of theft and one incident of burglary during 2021. In 2020, the Badaber police had lodged 40 cases of murder, 49 attempted murder, 13 hurts, four of kidnapping, three of abduction, one dacoity, two robberies, eight cases of burglary, four of theft and one case of car snatching.
The same are the figures of most of the police stations in Peshawar.
The crime rate is much higher in the urban and suburban police stations with more incidents of robberies, theft, burglaries, snatching and lifting. Most of the incidents in these areas, however, are not registered and the complainants are dodged by lodging a roznamcha.
“One of the reasons for the lowest crime rate is that the majority of the people living in the limits of Hassankhel Police Station are locals. Besides, the locals have the jirga system to settle disputes and other traditional checks that keep the ratio of crime low,” said a local Yousuf Afridi. Most of the policemen in Hassankhel were the Khassadars from the FR Peshawar.
The station house officer is appointed from the local force on the basis of seniority. A dispute resolution council was set up in the area a few months back to settle the local issues through an official body.
