Karachi: Karachi, which witnessed 20 bank robberies in a year a decade ago, had only one bank heist in the entire year 2020, thanks to better policing in the city.
According to annual report of Karachi Police for the year 2020, Karachi’s ranking on the World Crime Index improved during the year due to improvement in law and order situation as it was placed on 105th position as compared to sixth place just a few years back.
The police report said that even the accused criminals involved in the only bank heist of 2020 in Karachi were arrested along with recovery of the looted money.
The annual police report, however, said that a 25 per cent increase was reported in the crime instances in the city in 2020 as compared to the previous year due to the revised policing strategy of promptly registering the criminal case of any cognizable offence to hand down punishment to the offenders.
The Karachi police during the year conducted raids and targeted actions and arrested total 20,155 accused persons involved in different crimes as these included 269 suspects involved in terrorist activities and other heinous crimes.
The Karachi Police in 2020 did 241 encounters with robbers and other criminals in which, 15 police officers and personnel laid down their lives while another 44 police personnel were injured. The police in these encounters killed 49 suspected robbers, terrorists, and other criminals. The police also arrested 764 criminals involved in street crimes in the city.
Weapons recovered
The Karachi Police recovered from the criminals 5,324 pistols, revolvers; 32 submachine guns or Kalashnikovs; 67 rifles; 107 hand grenades.
The Karachi Police arrested 189 gangs of criminals involved in theft of motor vehicles and motorcycles as total 3405 suspects were arrested in this regard.
A major achievement of the Karachi Police in 2020 was successfully foiling the terrorist attack on the building of Pakistan Stock Exchange in the city as three of the armed attackers were killed in less than eight months.
The police were at the frontline to enforce the lockdown measures in the city against the spread of the coronavirus and also to conduct rescue and relief operations during the torrential monsoon rains. Seventeen (17) officers and personnel of Karachi embraced martyrdom after being infected with coronavirus infection.
