Up to 14 criminals killed in 168 encounters with police this year

PESHAWAR: The Capital City Police has clashed with robbers and street criminals 168 times in the last one year, killing at least 14 alleged gangsters and injuring 180 others, a report disclosed.

The force in the provincial capital has adopted an aggressive policy against street criminals since last year after witnessing an increase in snatching, robberies and violence. An official said during the last 12 months, 168 cases were registered after encounters with street criminals. Apart from killing 14 street criminals and injuring 180 others, police arrested 257 criminals involved in violent attacks, snatching, robberies and other crimes.

“We have adopted aggressive policing against street criminals. Over 120 encounters took place with robbers and snatchers in the last six months,” Capital City Police Officer(CCPO), Qasim Ali Khan, told The News.

The CCPO added a number of measures had been taken at the police station level while the Ababeel Force was reshuffled to improve policing the streets. He continued the situation in urban, suburban and rural areas had improved in the last few months.

For the last few years, incidents of snatching of phones and cash, lifting of bikes and cars and thefts from houses, shops and public places started happening daily in areas of almost all the police stations. Hardly a few of the cases were registered when the matter was brought to the notice of bosses.

Apart from dozens of people losing lives in street crimes, a large number of people were robbed in different areas of Peshawar. The crime rate in the provincial capital and other districts recorded a significant increase in the last few years, mostly because of inflation, joblessness and an increase in the use of drugs.

There were reports that a huge majority of the cases go unreported either because police avoid registration of FIR or roznamcha or the victims don’t approach the cops since they don’t have any hope from the force.

Senior police officials claimed time and again that they have busted a large number of gangs and arrested hundreds of their members involved in street crimes. However, the incidents of robberies, snatching and lifting of cars and bikes continued. In many cases, robbers and snatchers went violent and opened fire without any provocation.

Most of the cops at police stations don’t consider mobile snatching or theft from houses and shops even a crime anymore and that is why hundreds of cases go unreported. The situation for the last couple of years forced many people to take precautions mostly after sunset and avoid deserted streets and roads.

According to the experts, one of the major factors behind an unprecedented increase in incidents of snatching, robberies, theft and acts of violence in the last few years is the growing number of ice addicts in the society.

Apart from theft from houses and shops, hundreds of ice and heroin addicts daily uproot iron fences, benches, pipes and even cat-eyes from the road to sell it for a meager amount only to arrange money for ice.

The ice or methamphetamine addicts are more violent compared to those consuming heroin, hashish, or other drugs. Police investigators say many of those involved in the street crimes were found to be ice addicts.

These addicts become violent when they consume the drug and can kill anyone for offering little or even no resistance. Since it is more harmful to society and any individual, ice needs to be treated differently from other drugs.

Many believe that effective fresh laws by the government against ice are needed. Also, instead of mere eyewash and actions only for the consumption of social media, more aggressive actions by police, ANF, the Excise Department and other relevant departments against the mafias are needed.