Every incoming govt desires crime-free atmosphere, but police let them down

Islamabad : Every new establishment keenly desires to create the nation a bliss of amity and restraint, but the law enforcement agencies, particularly; the police disappoint the rulers by retorting their amateurish and unproductive attitude and callous behaviours, regardless of the fact the police prefer to achieve their own motives, but not to protect the lives and property of the public or keeping peace in the society.

There are more than enough examples in which many faces of top-ranking police officers occupy valuable positions by using strong political or governmental influence, even, they have the potential to approach families of the top most administrative authorities to achieve their personal advantage and unscrupulous motives.

Unfortunately, due to inattentive behaviours of the police towards fighting against the gangs of criminals, courageously continuing their looting spree at streets, roads, highways, houses, and business centres and the conurbations seem to have turned into a comfortable abode for all types of criminals. There had always been intelligence reports about the presence of most unwanted criminals hiding in the bustling localities.

The intelligence agencies managed to root out the menace of terrorism quite effectively but the police have botched to capitalise on the good work done by the intelligence agencies as they completely forgot to take care of the elements which went into hiding and snugly hibernate by showing off beam crime data and hide the factual happenings in their constituencies.

Now, it seems quite clear that the grass has grown too high under their feet but the police enjoyed a deep slumber. Those elements quietly formed their own gangs and instead of going for the terror activities, they hit the city with a wave of crime that entirely set the police off their feet.

As it happens in all such situations, find the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, lucrative targets, quite a few known gangs also headed for the city as they found the things becoming too searing to handle in their areas and regions.

All this does not happen overnight. The reports of the formation of these gangs and even the fights between these gangs to take over the control over certain areas were frequently reported in the media in the past.

It was not more than a year that the alarm bells were rung by the media regarding the upsurge in street crimes and the formation of local as well as Afghan gangs invading from Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK) and other border areas emerging and relocating here. But unfortunately the police authorities, apparently, never paid heed to those warnings and continued to sleep over the ‘volcano’. The gangs, consequently, scattered in the other main cities of the country.

Now, the volcano of crime has erupted with such intensity that the police are completely baffled in spite of the ‘vision of Half Fry and Full Fry’ and are at a loss to understand how to control the situation. A major factor in the deterioration of the situation is the inefficiency of the police department in this particular situation is too long stays of police officers and officials in one position.

A recent crime review revealed that the incidents of street crimes including armed dacoities, car-lifting, mugging, mobile and purse snatching, and loot and plunder have been recorded in different areas that are touching the height of criminals' activities but the police are denying lodging FIR against the gangsters. “This means that the police are protecting the gangs, not the lives and property of the public,” a victim expressing his anger, said, adding, “So daring these criminals have become now that they straightaway shoot the victim, even, the police, on resistance.”

The most alarming thing for the poor citizens is that the performance of the police, instead of improving the bad situation of the law and order, continues to nose dive.

People, especially women, have become a ‘soft target’ for these street thugs who are operating organised like a ‘mafia’ with their own boundaries demarcated in which the other gang could not interfere. And with each passing day, these gangs of criminals are getting stronger and stronger.