Islamabad sees surge in murders, street crimes

ISLAMABAD: Despite a number of check posts, police patrolling and more than 1,800 safe city cameras, robbers and street criminals continue to strike with impunity as police seem helpless in controlling the surging crimes in the federal capital.

The federal capital has seen an unpresented surge in street crimes, robberies and other incidents of heinous nature over the last one month.

According to statistics issued by the Islamabad police, more than 950 incidents took place in the capital city during the last one month, which highlight the brazenness with which the criminals strike.

According to the police report, a total of 350 motorcycles were stolen during the one-month period, indicating an alarming trend of vehicle theft in Islamabad.

Additionally, street criminals confiscated over 400 mobile phones from citizens, highlighting the rising number of mobile phone snatching incidents, a new phenomenon in the city.

The report further revealed that 86 vehicles were stolen from various locations in Islamabad, posing a challenge for the police to tackle the cope with the growing vehicle theft incidents.

According to the report, 27 individuals were kidnapped in the last one month, the report said adding that at least 11 people lost their lives during resistance to robberies. These incidents underscore the escalating level of crimes in the federal capital.

Instances of fraud and cheating were also reported with 34 cases registered during the month. More than 200 property-related incidents were reported to the police.

The statistics also shed light on the slow criminal justice system. Only 50 per cent of the reported crimes were successfully prosecuted, indicating a need for more effective investigations and legal processes.

Approximately 100 miscellaneous crimes were recorded where the value of stolen or lost items was not specified, making it difficult to ascertain the total monetary impact of these incidents.