Sindh government has decided to legislate e-tagging of criminals involved in repeated crimes and decided to start targeted operations against the street criminals.
This was decided in a high level meeting to work out a strategy for eradicating street crime in the city. The meeting was chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at CM House on Monday evening which was attended by Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Advocate General Salman Talibuddin, IG Police Mushtaq Maher, Home Secretary Saeed Mangnijo, PSCM Fayaz Jatoi, Adl IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon, Adl IG Special Branch Javed Odho, Deputy DG Rangers Brigadier Rauf Shahzad, Secretary Law Ali Ahmed Baloch, DIGs and provincial heads of intelligence agencies, said a communique.
The Chief Minister said that there were number of habitual criminals committing crimes in the city. “I want electronic tagging of such criminals to be made so that an eagle eye could be put on them,” he said.
The electronic tagging is a system in which a criminal or suspected criminal has an electronic device attached to them which enables the police to know if they leave a particular area.
The Chief Minister said that during the last one and half month, a new surge of street crimes has created a wave of fear and insecurity in the city. “I usually visit the city secretly but hardly have seen the police and Rangers on the roads or on patrolling in the respective areas,” he said, adding this was unacceptable at all. Murad Ali Shah said that some serious incidents have taken place in which citizens have lost their lives against street criminals. “Where are your SHOs, what are they doing and what is their performance,” he asked the police.
The police apprised the Chief Minister that during 2022, 123 encounters with criminals have been conducted in which 12 criminals were killed and 82 injured. The CM was told that 1217 criminals involved in robberies were arrested, 292 criminals were held in vehicle snatching/theft cases and 903 illicit weapons recovered. It was pointed out that out of 7179 arrested accused, 3666 were bailed out and 3513 acquitted. At this the chief minister said that it was the weakness of the police that they were not investigating the cases properly.
The CM said that he would pay surprise visits to the city and he wanted the police and Rangers patrolling, snap checking and active in their areas in protection of the citizens. “I want you to keep me posting the fortnightly performance of the SHO in terms of criminal cases in their areas,” he said and added that the SHO must have the knowledge of the criminals active in their areas,” he said and added he would remove such SHO allowing or showing negligence in curbing the crime.
It was also disclosed that some gangs were operating from the jails. At this, the Chief Minister directed the Home Department to launch a massive operation in all the jails and take strict action against such criminals. “I want the Jail Department to evolve a strategy to monitor activities of the hardened criminals and gangsters languishing in the jail so that through their cluse their gangs operating in the city could be busted,” he said.
Additional IG Police told that over 15,000 posts of constables were vacant in the city. At this, the Chief Minister directed IG Police to expedite recruitment of the constables and keep it a regular practice because 1500 to 2000 policemen were retiring every year. The IG Police said that presently recruitment of constables was in progress.
Murad Ali Shah directed the IG Police, Home Secretary and Law Department to suggest necessary legislation so that bail could be made difficult for the habitual criminals.
The meeting decided to lift narcotics addicts from the streets and shift them to the rehabilitation centers so that they could be rehabilitated. The Chief Minister said that the safe city project has come to a tendering stage under which the entire Red Zone and all the important places/installations would be covered. Meanwhile, it was decided that the CCTV cameras installed by private persons at their streets, business centers and such other places would be registered to facilitate them.
The Sindh Chief Minister also directed the police to act against private guards with weapons roaming in the city. He said that he has witnessed various vehicles with fake number plates moving here and there and using hooters, lights supposed to be used by the police. “I want you to take strict action against them,” he ordered. Concluding the meeting the chief minister directed all top officers to keep visiting their respective jurisdictions and he himself would pay surprise visits.
