KP Police adopt 15-point strategy to counter crimes

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police have introduced a 15-point strategy to counter rising street crimes and ensure registration of first information reports (FIRs). “The Central Police Office has instructed the senior officers to ensure registration of cases to address the issue of burking besides fighting street crime and getting the criminals punished,” said a source.

The source said the KP Police force was considering setting up a force with bigger motorcycles operating in pairs with smaller beats. The government was being approached to secure funding and resources, the source added.

A helpline is also being introduced to approach the IG office in case of non-registration of FIR or any other complaint. The source added Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari had sent the strategy to all the officers with directives to ensure no station house officer or any other official was involved in burking.

The cops have been told they should not worry about crime trends and comparative statements. "The regional and district police officers were told not to sweep such matters under the carpet but to go to the field and take measures for improvement of the situation," IGP Moazzam Jah Ansari told The News.

He added the force had been directed to work on the new strategy by going after the gangs involved in street crimes including, time and area-wise crime heat mapping, focusing on the identified areas and timings, intensifying uniformed foot patrolling and deploying plainclothes men on streets.

Besides, the police have been directed to monitor the bailed out street criminals and interrogate those still behind bars, bind them down to turn up to the police station regularly to monitor their activities.

"The strategy also includes checking and cracking down on purchasers of stolen mobile sets and other stolen goods, engaging the community in law enforcement efforts and encouraging the traders and other people to install CCTV cameras with enough backup recording," said an official.

He added the strategy also directed the cops to interview the victims and identify the patterns of the crimes as well as make computer sketches of the involved criminals and suspects.

"Police have been directed to organize a database of all the street criminals involved in the past. Also, the officers have been instructed to hold regular meetings with investigation staff and take them to task for failures in detection," said the official. The police in Peshawar and other districts were also instructed to think of innovative techniques and modern technology to fight street crime.

A new helpline will keep a check on the police performance and to ensure no one is dodged when he or she approaches police for the registration of the FIR. The source said more resources would be utilised to improve policing in the city, especially urban and suburban towns where incidents of snatching of phone and cash, theft, lifting of bikes, cars, robberies , abduction and murders recorded an increase in recent months.

The source added that most of the cases of snatching, lifting, robbery, theft, abduction and kidnapping were not being lodged to show a better law and order situation to the bosses who have kept silent on the practice of burking for long.