Pakistan's Lahore sees surge in crime rate amid inflation spike

Lahore [Pakistan], April 4 (ANI): As Pakistanis are struggling to make the ends meet amid the rise in inflation, Lahore is seeing a massive surge in street crime, reported Dawn.
According to the official data, the crime rate in the first three-and-a-half months of the year shows that over 90 per cent of them have been committed at gunpoint. This shows that robbers are fearless and brandish illegal weapons in the city to deprive the citizens of cash and valuables. The criminals are so desperate and fearless of the police action that they are even lifting bicycles too.
The data also revealed that 143 bicycles were stolen from various parts of the provincial capital during the first three-and-a-half months of this year besides 5,366 motorcycles.
Lahore has six police divisions, 35 circles and 84 police stations. Each division is headed by a superintendent of police (SP) while circles are headed by sub-divisional police officers (SDPOs), reported Dawn.
But despite the appointment of so many police officers in such a large number, the criminals are on the rampage, looting and depriving citizens of their belongings fearlessly. The official data shows that 89 citizens have been allegedly murdered in Lahore in about the first quarter of 2023.
Most of the murder incidents - 20 each - were reported in City and Saddar divisions.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, provincial's Interior Minister Abdul Rehman Kanju admitted that the street crime rate has increased in the provincial capital, Dawn reported.
According to a Pakistani newspaper, Kanju claimed that the increase in the population has led to a spike in street crime cases, according to Dawn.
However, he claimed that the government was taking effective steps to ensure the safety of citizens.
The minister made these comments while responding to a calling attention notice, moved by PTI Member of National Assembly (MNA) Asiya Azeem regarding the increase in crimes against women in Islamabad, Dawn reported.
Giving details about the measures that the Pakistan government has taken to control crime, Interior Minister said that Eagle Squad had been formed to patrol streets on motorcycles, claiming that there had been a significant decline in the crime rate since the formation of the squad.
Kanju claimed that since the start of the year, not a single case of house robbery had been reported in the capital, reported Dawn.
Regarding the crimes against women, Kanju claimed that it was because of the government's directives to the police to register every first information report (FIR) in this regard. (ANI)