LAHORE – The incidents of heinous crimes such as gang rape, house robberies and kidnappings for ransom have significantly decreased across Punjab, thanks to the police for adopting an ‘aggressive policy’ to eliminate hardened criminals in fake and staged encounters.
This operation clean-up has stunned the underworld throughout the province. According to official statistics, the police in its special campaign against the criminals have gunned down at least 210 alleged criminals during encounters that took place in Punjab from January 1 to September 1.
Last year, the police had eliminated less than 100 gangsters during the corresponding period, suggesting more than 200 per cent increase in the incidents of armed encounters between the police and criminals.
According to police record, the incidents of gang rape have almost been controlled while not even a single incident of kidnapping for ransom has been reported this month in the province. The house robberies have also decreased by 15 to 20 per cent during this year as compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, police record says.
However, streets crimes such as cash and phone snatching have registered 18 per cent increase, motor vehicle lifting has swelled by 20 per cent and cattle theft has shot up by 8 per cent during the current year until September if compared with the corresponding period of the previous year.
Since May this year, armed encounters between the police and gangsters registered a significant increase, indicating that the Punjab police have started tightening the screw on hardened criminals and desperate gangsters.
In Lahore, at least 55 alleged criminals have been eliminated in armed ‘encounters’ in different parts of the City during this year; many of the those killed were said to be rapists or the criminals found involved in kidnappings for ransom. Most of the police officers, serving on key slots, say that armed encounters are the only solution to get rid of desperate and hardened criminals, particularly those found involved in committing gang rape during house robberies.
A senior police officer told this scribe privately that at least 44 gangsters involved in gang rape cases were killed during armed encounters in different parts of the province. As per the new policy, he further reveals, there is zero tolerance for those found involved in rape-cum-robbery incidents and kidnappings for ransom.
It is important to mention here that the law enforcing agency, earlier this year, had fixed a criterion to flush out desperate criminals and its scope was amended from time to time. Following every major arrest, top police officers sit together and give go ahead for those falling in the ‘encounter criteria’ and they are accordingly eliminated.
Insiders say that the Punjab police adopted the ‘aggressive policing’ policy to hunt down hardened criminals since Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif reshuffled the police command and appointed aggressive and seasoned field officers in the big cities of the province. Later, on the chief minister’s recommendations the Punjab inspector general of police (IGP) appointed officers known as crime-fighters in the crime-infested police circles on important positions. Many police officers believe that the aggressive policy helped police bring down the rising crimes besides creating a sense of security among the masses.
The police have also launched crackdown against proclaimed offenders on a large scale across the province and each station house officer (SHO) has been given the task to nab these proclaimed offenders.
Sources believe that according to the new formula, the performance of the policemen is being monitored through the arrests and successful operations against most wanted criminals including Top-10 and Top-20 proclaimed offenders. More than 80,000 proclaimed offenders involved in different criminal cases are at large in the Punjab province. Therefore, the field officers are strictly directed to capture maximum proclaimed offenders or face the music.
Last week, IGP Muhammad Habib-ur-Rehman, while presiding over a high-level meeting, urged the cops to aggressively hunt down the criminals. “Life should be made miserable for the most wanted proclaimed offenders and hardened criminals in the province. The police are directed to step up crackdown against these criminals,” a police officer quoted the police chief as telling the participants of the provincial law and order meeting.