RAWALPINDI, April 9: In a bid to prevent crimes, police have decided to register criminal cases against victim of any crime who tries to make a patch-up with the suspect arrested and put on trial for legal punishment, it has been learnt.

The police said the move was aimed to let the criminals stay behind bars, go through the trial and face punishment.

City Police Officer Azhar Hameed Khokhar said the police had decided to book the victim of any crime, especially robbery/theft, under Section 213 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) who agrees to compromise with the arrested suspect because it ruins the police working and provides an opportunity to the criminal to get freedom and strike again.

The CPO added: “It has been observed that when police trace and capture gangs of criminals involved in big robberies and recover majority of the loot and put them on trial the victims make a patch-up with them.” It puts the police in trouble and destroys all efforts made in arresting the culprits, he added.

To a question whether the out-of-court compromise was reached by the victim due to threats from the suspects or there was any other motive, the CPO disputed the notion of threats and said: “Apparently, it is only the money offered by the suspects to the victim that drives the latter to patch up. The victims even submit an affidavit to the court of law. After the compromise, the under-trial criminals get bail and start their activities afresh, causing an increase in the crime rate.”

The CPO said: “As long as such criminals remained in jail, the crime rate would be low and police would concentrate on other issues.”

He said the current respite from crime in the city was due to the arrest of gangs of criminals and it would definitely go up if the arrested criminals are bailed out in a similar way.

When Sardar Sohail Asmat Advocate was contacted and asked whether the police had powers to register a case against the victim of a robbery/theft if he goes for a compromise with the suspects, he said: “Yes, the police can take legal action against the complaint of a non-compoundable offence under the relevant law that does not permit a patch-up unless the relevant judge agrees. But it would be interesting to see how it would be applicable.”

He explained: “Robbery and theft are offences against the state and are non-compoundable in which the compromise between the victim and the suspect is possible only if the judge is convinced with the evidences and accepts it. But it is the state prosecutor’s duty to provide enough evidences against the accused and prove to the court to continue the trial.”

Murder case is compoundable offence because it is always between the two persons and they can compromise with each other under the law, he added.

Mr Asmat said though the latest move would help the police bring down the crime rate, the CPO must also take strict action against police investigators who lacked experience due to which criminals always got benefit.