Pakistan (Commonwealth Union)_ According to reports, Lahore is experiencing a major increase in street violence as Pakistanis struggle to make ends meet due to rising prices. According to government statistics, about ninety percent of crimes in the first three and a half months of the year were executed at gunpoint. This demonstrates that criminals are bold and carry illegal firearms throughout the city to steal cash and valuables from civilians. The crooks are so desperate and unafraid of police intervention that they have begun to steal bicycles as well.
According to the statistics, in addition to 5,366 motorbikes, 143 bicycles were stolen from various areas of the provincial capital during the first three and a half months of the year. There are six police divisions, thirty-five circles, and eighty-four police stations in Lahore. Each division is led by a superintendent of police (SP), and circles are led by sub-divisional police officers (SDPOs). However, despite the employment of a huge number of police officers, criminals remain on the loose, plundering and stealing from civilians without fear. According to government data, 89 people were reportedly murdered in Lahore during the first quarter of 2023. The majority of homicides were recorded in the City and Saddar districts, with 20 murders in each district.
According to reports, Punjab Interior Minister Abdul Rehman Kanju acknowledged that street crime has surged in the provincial capital of Islamabad. According to a Pakistani publication, Kanju asserted that the rise in population has led to an increase in street crime. However, he asserted that the government was proactively ensuring the safety of its residents. According to reports, the minister made these remarks in response to a calling attention notice filed by Asiya Azeem, a member of the PTI’s National Assembly, about the rise in crimes against women in Islamabad.
According to the Interior Minister of Pakistan, the Eagle Squad, which patrols the streets on motorcycles, was deployed as part of the government’s efforts to combat crime. He also claimed that since the inception of the Eagle Squad, the crime rate has decreased significantly. Kanju reported that since the beginning of the year, there has been no record of a home invasion in the capital. Speaking about the crimes against women, Kanju asserted that it was the government’s direction to the police to record every FIR in this respect.
