The law and order situation in Karachi seems to be rapidly deteriorating. Many parts of the city, including several posh localities, have reported a sudden rise in street crimes and robberies. Police have failed to take any stringent action against the criminals and authorities have yet to take stock of the situation.
According to reports, Karachi has reported 11,000 incidents of street crimes since the start of current year while dozens have been injured for resisting robberies. We have seen numerous CCTV clips going viral on social media every other day. The gravity of the situation was only revealed when a senior journalist was shot dead in broad daylight during a mugging attempt.
A large metropolis such as Karachi has faced a high crime rate since decades. Many people were even compelled to shift to other cities or abroad until law-enforcement agencies and the paramilitary launched a years-long operation to eliminate criminal elements. Although they succeeded in reducing incidents of violent crime and terrorism, streets crimes and petty robberies continue to make lives and valuables of citizens unsafe.
Now hardly a day passes when a citizen doesn’t become victim to trigger happy criminals. The city has a new police chief but this is unlikely to change the situation until decisive action is taken. Karachi has a large police force and sizable presence of Rangers but both seem unable to stem the rising crime rate.
The situation has created a political situation as the federal government can pass the responsibility to the Sindh government. CM Sindh has blamed the economic downturn for the rising street crimes while taking responsibility for the security situation. This does not change the situation as the life and property of citizens remain at risk.
The government needs to take the challenge and eradicate the menace of street crimes. It needs to restore peace so citizens can feel safe. This is possible with the support of the people and efforts of valiant law-enforcement agencies who crushed terrorism and now need to eliminate street crime for the sake of the nation’s progress.
