LAHORE - The crime rate is increasing day by day as the number of Proclaimed Offenders (POs) and Court Absconders has increased by 45 per cent from January to August, this year, as compared to corresponding period of the last year across the Punjab province, police sources and some official documents revealed to TheNation on Wednesday. Sources said that most of the POs and Court Absconders (CAs) belong to the few districts of Punjab including Sheikhupura, Lahore, Vehari, Lodhran, Bahalwalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sadiqabad, Sahiwal and Faisalabad. Police sources maintained that as many as 64,534 POs had emerged this year so far. They are involved in heinous acts of crime committed in different districts of the Punjab. A top police officer said that dozens of Pos were involved in triple murder cases, encounters with policemen, illegal land grabbing and other acts of crime adding that they had spoiled the lives of many innocent women by victimizing them of gang rape. They must be eliminated, he further said. As per official document, a copy of which is available with TheNation, almost 57,786 POs were reported from January to August last year. Punjab police, however, had claimed to arrest 42,702 POs last year in the said period but interestingly the ratio of POs shot up in 2010 by 12 per cent. The document said that as many as 33,292 Court Absconders were reported roaming across the Punjab from January to August this year. Police also have claimed to apprehend 31,292 CAs so far. Not less than 25,033 CAs were reported during the first eight months of the last year while according to the police 24,457 were arrested but the ratio shot up by 33 per cent during the first eight months this year, the document further stated. The situation is changing day by day regarding the crimes of every nature. The crimes including murder, kidnapping for ransom, dacoity-cum-murder, robbery, car and bike snatching, theft and other street crimes are on the rise, a senior police officer told on condition of anonymity. He further said that Court Absconders were established criminal but policemen were reluctant to arrest them owing to many reasons including threat to their families. As usual Punjab Police spokesman Deputy Inspector General of Police Punjab (DIG) Akram Naeem Bharoka was unavailable to respond when contacted in order to seek his version. PHP committed to check crime Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Punjab Highway Patrol Sohail Khan briefed probationer officers of the 37th common training programme currently running in civil services academy Walton about the Punjab Highway Patrol on Wednesday. The DIG told the officers that PHP was working to provide protection to the commuters on highways. The PHP has cut the 80 percent crime on roads. He said Help line 1124 was working effectively and travellers facing any problem under the jurisdiction of PHP were provided help immediately. PHP has set the new standards of service on highways. All the participants latter visited the additional IGP/PHPs Pant house office where Add IG PHP Moham-mad Wasim welcomed them.