Increasing crime rate in Islamabad

The crime rates have been constantly increasing in the capital city of Pakistan – Islamabad. Incidents of robberies, murders, kidnapping, abduction, and other serious crimes usually occurred in Islamabad. Instead of controlling the rising crimes in Islamabad the city’s police have not only refrained from sharing data but also changed the facts and figures tactfully.

Crime rate is still increasing despite the government had spent Rs13 billion on the Safe City Project. Despite tall claims by the city’s police, the crime rate in the federal capital spiked in the previous year.

Government Imitative

Islamabad was named Safe City. To protect the city from crimes, China donated 2500 CCTV cameras. All these cameras were installed to lay a web of surveillance cameras throughout the city. The basic objective of the project was to bring the city under surveillance.

While more facilities were given to Islamabad police. New recruitments, massive transfers/postings, formation of different squads of the police were also done to curb the crime rates in city.

The Federal Police was also provided with new 500 double cabin vehicles which China gave to Pakistan to improve the efficiency of the police force. The salaries of the police were also increased

The Islamabad police raised new patrolling forces; Eagle Squad and the bike-mounted Falcon Squad, but it did little to curb crime.

Current Situation

Cameras that were provided to bring the city under surveillance, more than 1,500 cameras have been damaged and not repaired yet. Federal police have completely failed to control crime.

All the police officers according to their level take bribes and allegedly associated with a network of different criminals including drug dealers, kidnapping for ransom, timber mafia and land mafia.

In addition to their share, they receive penalties from criminals. Bids are arranged for the federal police stations. The SHO who bids higher is assigned to the respected police station.

Currently, all kinds of unqualified and illiterate sub-inspectors are posted in the Police Stations of Islamabad who deliver bribes to high-level officials on daily basis.

Ordinary poor citizens are deprived of justice and rich criminals are given special protocols in the police stations.

Some statistics

According to the crime statistics of 2019, around 10,000 cases of crime of various natures were registered at the 22 police stations in Islamabad.

At least 100 people were murdered in the capital during 2019 as compared to 106 incidents in 2018.

Furthermore, around 300 cases of attempt-to-murder were registered by the police in 2019. Police also registered over 2,600 cases of robbery and mugging.

The police record shows that some 800 vehicles were either stolen or snatched from residents of the capital city during the outgoing year.