Pakistan’s Karachi to see 11 percent rise in street crimes in 2023: HRCP

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

According to information, the HRCP in its latest report has expressed concern about the increasing number of street crimes in Karachi. The report said that more than 90,000 street crimes were recorded in Karachi in 2023, an increase of 11 percent compared to 80,000 in 2022.

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

The HRCP expressed concern 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.

In view of the recent rise in street crime incidents in Karachi, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has launched a strategic crackdown and formed a special force to tackle criminals in Karachi.

Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon held a high-level meeting with top police officials of Karachi, ARY News reported.

During the meeting, IGP Memon assigned a team of 67 officers of the Karachi Police Force the responsibility of handling the most serious cases. he/she said 60 officers from various districts would be deployed, as well as seven specialized members of the SIU.

Meanwhile, according to the Forbes Advisory List on July 11, Karachi was ranked the second riskiest city for tourists with a rating of 93.12 out of 100, reports Dawn.

The list of three riskiest cities released by Forbes Advisor on July 11 showed Karachi ranked second, just behind Caracas in Venezuela, which had a score of 100, while Yangon in Myanmar was ranked third with a score of 91.67 out of 100.

According to the ranking, the city had the highest personal safety risk, which reflects risks from crime, violence, terrorist threats, natural disasters and economic vulnerabilities. It also said that Karachi received the second-worst (Level 3, reconsider travel) travel safety rating from the US State Department, reports Dawn.

Moreover, according to the report, Karachi has the fourth-highest infrastructure security risk, which reflects the availability and quality of a city’s infrastructure. To highlight the cities with the highest and lowest risk for tourists, Forbes Advisor said it compared 60 international cities based on seven key parameters. It is worth noting that Karachi has repeatedly been included in the list of “unlivable” cities.