KARACHI: City police chief Javed Odho on Wednesday said that the police department was moving away from traditional concepts of snap-checking and roadblocks and adopting ‘modern ways’ and technologies to stop crimes.

He also said that maintaining law and order in the provincial capital was ‘unfeasible’ with just 15,000 personnel and called for increasing manpower.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (Kati), Mr Odho said the Safe City project was aimed at bolstering Karachi’s security infrastructure through installation and up-gradation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

The project, which is being carried out in partnership with the Sindh government, is a critical component of the city’s crime prevention strategy. He pointed out that globally many countries have moved away from traditional policing methods, such as snap-checking and roadblocks and replacing the practises with advanced technologies, like surveillance cameras.

Says law enforcement agency moving towards modern concepts of policing

“Karachi is following this trend, with approximately 3,000 cameras already installed across various parts of the city under a public-private partnership,” said Mr Odho.

More installations are planned to further enhance the city’s surveillance network, he added.

The officer also spoke about challenges being faced by the Karachi police.

He said maintaining law and order in a sprawling city like Karachi is a difficult task, especially with the current strength of just 15,000 officers.

He stressed the need for additional manpower to ensure safety and security of residents.

He also announced plans to increase police mobility and technological resources, including the procurement of 500 motorcycles for enhanced patrolling.

Mr Odho mentioned that the Rapid Response Force would soon be integrated into the “S4 Project” of Karachi police, which would help alleviate some of the manpower shortages.

He assured the business community that the police were actively addressing the issue of street crimes, particularly incidents involving traders being robbed after leaving banks. The police officer said that several gangs involved in such activities had also been held.

The Additional IG also highlighted the role of the Shaheen Force, a specialised unit raised to curb street crime in Karachi. He claimed that the force had brought many criminal elements under control and emphasised its potential to further reduce street crime.

He also claimed that the law and order situation in Karachi had shown improvement and daily average of criminal incidents had also reduced.

The officer said the number of incidents in the city had decreased from 252 per day to 107 which was a result of “enhanced police effectiveness and strategy in combating crime”.

Mr Odho highlighted the “progress” in Karachi police investigation sector, saying that the crime detection rate had soared to 60 per cent.

Industrial ‘downturn’

Kati president Johar Qandhari, expressed deep concern over the economic crisis plaguing the country, saying that the crisis had led to the closure of over 300 industries in Karachi.

“This industrial downturn has resulted in loss of jobs for 40,000 to 50,000 people, exacerbating the city’s unemployment problem.”

Mr Qandhari warned that the rising unemployment was contributing to an increase in law and order problem, including street crime.

He also stressed the importance of strengthening the investigation department, noting that many criminal elements evade justice due to inadequate investigations.

He said that while Karachi has only one police officer for every 1,200 residents, Lahore enjoys a much better ratio of one officer for every 237 residents.

This imbalance, he argued, makes it nearly impossible to establish and maintain peace in Karachi with the current police force.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2024