Despite targeted operations by law enforcement authorities Karachi saw an increase in mobile snatching & motorbike theft reveals Karachi Street Crime Report for 2017.
Target Killings, Bomb Blasts, Kidnapping and extortion saw a decrease indicating that the overall security situation of the city saw an improvement is the past few years.
The complete security situation of the city can be understood by comparing the statistics of the last three years:
| Year | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorbike Theft | 23,190 | 22,535 | 17,191 |
| Motorbike Snatching | 2,280 | 2,516 | 2,801 |
| Mobile Phones Snatching | 16,232 | 16,069 | 21,198 |
| Car Snatching | 211 | 230 | 333 |
| Car Theft | 1,183 | 1,555 | 1,798 |
| Target Killings | 22 | 45 | 153 |
| Killings | 562 | 667 | 874 |
| Bomb Blasts | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Extortion | 116 | 160 | 210 |
Mobile Phone Snatching & Motorbike Theft Increased in 2017:
Like previous years smartphones were an easy target for criminals who on gunpoint snatched 16,232 mobile phones. In 2016 mobile snatching decreased significantly but from the start of 2017 saw an increase in street crime.
According to the data revealed by Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) there was an increase of 1.01% in mobile snatching while 2.9% increase was observed in theft of two wheelers. Snatching of motorbikes saw a declining trend of 9.38% in 2017.
Fewer car snatching incidents were recorded this year maintaining the declining trend of previous years. More than 333 people lost their cars on gunpoint in 2015, in 2016 it was decreased by 31% and in 2017 it saw another decrease of 8.26%. The theft of four-wheelers was also decreased in comparison with the last two years.
While talking with media Additional Inspector General Police Karachi Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar said that most of the criminal activities took place during traffic jams and rush hours. He recommended that construction worked should be carried out during night to avoid traffic jams.
He revealed that most of the criminals are from slum areas that use traffic jam near their areas as an opportunity. Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar also talked about shortage of CCTV cameras saying that police is facing shortage of funds to install CCTV cameras.
