LAHORE, July 22: The provincial police says crime rate against property has witnessed 24 per cent decrease while overall heinous crime has come down by 12 per cent across the province during the last five months or so.

Dacoity and robbery incidents had also registered a decline across the province and it happened because of effective crime prevention and detection policy, claims IGP.

He said a major network of kidnappings for ransom in the province had been busted with the killing of Kashif alias Kashi gang, which was operating in upper Punjab.

He, however, said bank robberies and gang-rape incidents had posted an increase and police were making efforts to overcome those.

IGP Muhammad Habibur Rehman, who was flanked by his entire team of senior police officers, presented latest crime statistics of all 10 police regions before newsmen on Sunday.

He said his team had implemented an aggressive policing strategy, which worked and resulted into considerably decrease in crimes of all categories.

He claimed lists were prepared for top-20 notorious gangsters of each district and later Punjab police clamped down at their hideouts.

He said incidents of kidnapping for ransom had decreased in Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Rahim Yar Khan and in Lahore.He said the district police officers had been empowered and operations control of the Punjab Highways Patrol (PHP) had been given to them. He said criminal litigation fund, internal accountability division, inquiry committee against women harassment have been established and other initiatives have been taken to revolutionize the police department.

Rehman further said the promotion board had been established to streamline the promotion of inspectors, DSPs and SPs.

“Overall, 100 police inspectors are being promoted to the rank of DSP and the step will boost the morale of the lower cadre,” he added.

He said police confronted around 163 encounters, which resulted into the deaths of 138 gangsters, 221 bandits were injured whereas some 19 police officers embraced martyrdom during five months of the current year.

According to him, overall crime of heinous nature especially armed dacoities had decreased by (-67) per cent in Lahore, -79 in Sheikhupura, -35 in Gujranwala, -135 in Faisalabad, -107 in Sahiwal, -45 in Bahawalpur, and -29 in Sargodha during this span of time.

Similarly, the rate of robberies had also decreased as compared to the statistics of the last year, he said, adding the conviction rate by the courts had also decreased and the maximum punishment awarded to the criminals was only three years. “But, I have directed my team to produce maximum criminals before the courts,” he said.