he Lahore police claimed a significant drop in the frequency of heinous crimes in October this year. However, the recent flurry of police ‘encounters’ suggests that there’s more to the matter than meets the eye. Concerns have been growing regarding the modus operandi employed by the police whenever crime statistics show an upward trajectory with incidents of heists and roadside snatching increasing across the city.

One way to gauge how perturbed the city police is over the rising crime graph is by the frequency of police encounters. Eight encounters were reported in a span of ten days during November and December. Some argue that in doing so, the police want to send an ‘all is well’ message to the government.

On the other hand, despite the presence of hundreds of police pickets across the city, as many as 377 incidents of dacoities, snatchings and burglaries were reported in 24 hours in Lahore just last week.

Requesting anonymity, a senior police officer says, “There is no denying that the surge in crimes has become a permanent feature in the lives of many citizens.” He says a number of factors, particularly higher unemployment and poverty numbers, have added to the problem.

The police officer says that a tug-of-war is currently going on over the use of authority in the top brass of the Lahore police. He says the dismal performance of the Operations wing has left the city police no option but to resort to staging police encounters.

“What other options do the police have?” he says rhetorically.

Figures provided by the police indicate that criminals are on a rampage across the city. On average, 200 people are robbed every day in the provincial capital, thwarting the police’s most effective strategies to bring down the crime rate. Over 1,000 crimes were reported during the first 10 days of Ramazan this year.

In the first three months of 2024, nearly 74,000 crimes, including murder, attempted murder, robbery and theft, were reported in the city.

In an exchange of gunfire in November, the Organised Crime Unit of Model Town police claimed to have killed a ‘shooter’ Azam Khan, in an ‘encounter.’ As per the police’s claim, he was known for his violent crimes and was considered a symbol of terror.

Speaking to The News on Sunday, Inam Waheed, a senior DIG of the Punjab Police, says, “Resorting to fake police encounters is definitely no solution to the problem. Police should not assume the role of a judge at any cost.”

According to Inspector Imran Yousaf, the incident occurred when his team was transporting Azam Khan under physical remand to the jurisdiction of Kahna police station in connection with an investigation aimed at apprehending his accomplices and recovering a murder weapon.

All of a sudden, he says, unidentified armed men, believed to be Khan’s associates, opened fire on the police party in an attempt to free him. In the ensuing crossfire, Inspector Yousaf says, Khan was hit by bullets fired by his associates. He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his wounds en route.

In a similar incident, four robbers were killed and their female accomplice was injured, reportedly in an encounter in Lahore’s Green Town area. SHO Khurram Shahzad and a constable, Asif, were also injured in the exchange of fire.

The police said that members of the gang, clad in police uniforms, had robbed people drawing cash from banks, thrice in a week.

In another incident in May 2024, Faizan Butt was taken to the Karol Jungle during an investigation for the recovery of some weapons when five of his accomplices attacked the police party. The police team retaliated, killing four criminals.

These criminals were wanted in cases involving targeted killing of police officers, claimed the CTD.

Speaking to The News on Sunday, Inam Waheed, a senior DIG of the Punjab Police, says, “Resorting to fake police encounters or burking of crimes is definitely no solution to the problem. Police should not assume the role of a judge at any cost,” he says. “Acting upon the law and abiding by the police rules is the prime responsibility of officers as well as focus of every cop.”

The DIG says that whenever the police had resorted to staging encounters in the past, it had proven to be counterproductive.

“Instead of carrying out policing by hook or by crook, it should be done by the book.”

Advocate Raja Zulkarnain, secretary general of the Supreme Court Bar Association, says lack of accountability and a poor judicial system are the major reasons encouraging police officers to engage in inhuman and illegal actions.

“Record shows that despite several judicial inquiries initiated to investigate the authenticity of police encounters, not a single police officer has been held accountable so far,” he adds.

Ahsan Zia is a print and broadcast journalist