Pakistan’s Karachi witnesses 11 pc rise in street crimes in 2023: HRCP

Pakistan’s Karachi has witnessed an 11 per cent rise in street crimes, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), ARY News reported.

According to details, HRCP, in its latest report, voiced concerns regarding the rising number of street crimes in Karachi. The report stated that more than 90,000 street crimes were reported in Karachi in 2023, in comparison to 80,000 in 2022, showcasing an 11 per cent rise.

According to the HRCP report, 134 people were killed while resisting robberies and other incidents in 2023, and 100 others were injured. The report stated that more than 59,000 motorcycles and 2336 vehicles were snatched from people in 2023.

The HRCP voiced concerns over the overall law and order situation in Sindh province. It said that 3296 police encounters took place in 2023, which is the highest number of police encounters in a year in Sindh, ARY News reported.

Seeing the recent rise in street crime incidents in Karachi, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has launched a strategic crackdown and constituted a specialised force to tackle the criminals in Karachi.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh, Ghulam Nabi Memon, held a high-level meeting with the top police officers of Karachi, according to ARY News report.

During the meeting, IGP Memon allocated the responsibility of handling the most critical cases to a team of 67 officers from Karachi’s police force. He said that 60 officers will be deployed from various districts, along with seven elite members from the SIU.

Meanwhile, Karachi has been ranked as the second-riskiest city for tourists, with a rating of 93.12 out of 100, according to a July 11 Forbes Adviser list, Dawn reported.

The July 11 Forbes Adviser list of three of the riskiest cities highlighted that Karachi was second just behind Venezuela’s Caracas, which had a score of 100, while Myanmar’s Yangon ranked third with a score of 91.67 out of 100.

According to the ranking, the city had the highest personal security risk, reflecting risk from crime, violence, terrorist threats, natural disasters, and economic vulnerabilities. It added that Karachi had the second-worst (level 3, reconsider travel) travel safety rating from the US State Department, as reported by Dawn.

Moreover, Karachi has the fourth-highest infrastructure security risk, reflecting the availability and quality of city infrastructure, according to the report. To uncover the most and least risky cities for tourists, Forbes Adviser said that it compared 60 international cities across seven key metrics. Notably, Karachi has repeatedly appeared on lists of “unlivable” cities.