Inspector General Police (IGP) Sindh, Ghulam Haider Jamali has said that the department is striving hard to ensure lasting peace in the city, adding that a plan to purge the city of arms is being prepared. Speaking at a meeting of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), he said that to eradicate extortion and kidnapping for ransom and other crimes police was being equipped with latest arms, bullet proof jackets, phone locators, bullet-proof vehicles, besides installation of CCTV cameras at different places.
He said that Sindh government had announced a package of Rs 280 million for police department. "Considerable reduction in crimes has been witnessed in the province especially during the last month of September 2014," he noted. However, he admitted that law and order in the city particularly extortion and kidnapping for ransom were deep-rooted and cannot be eradicated overnight.
He said that the police vigilance in the city was being reinforced so that peace could be fully maintained and trade and industrial activities could flourish without any threat. Jamali said during last two to three months more than 100 criminals had been killed in different police encounters. Whereas 165 police officials have been killed till September 2014 against 56 police cops killed in 2013, he added
Pointing out to shortage of police force, the IGP said that there were 29,000 policemen on duty in the city, which comes to one policeman for every 825 persons. "We have written to the government to double police personnel. The government has the realisation of the issue and has assured us to provide 10,000 additional personnel," Jamali said. Speaking on the occasion, S M Muneer expressed deep concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi and demanded concrete safety and security measures to ensure lasting peace.
He urged Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif to invite representatives of business community as and when he (Nawaz ) hold meeting on Karachi law and order issue to have a true picture of prevailing situation. Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan said that the use of illegal Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) for crime was a major issue and urged for early closure of all illegal SIMs. President All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Mian Zahid Hussain, said that the industrialists and traders should boycott mobile companies, which show reluctance to close down illegal SIMs.