IN a welcome development, Sindh government has approved Rs 30b to launch Karachi safe city project.
As many as ten thousand CCTV cameras would be installed in the city in three phases and each phase would be completed within twelve months starting from next financial year.
The Karachi safe city project was first conceived back in 2011 and one fails to understand why it took so long to give a green light to such an important initiative for security of the mega city.
There is no doubt that as a result of security forces sustained operation against terrorists and other criminal elements, security situation in the city stands much improved however use of latest technology and equipment will always be required to maintain proper law & order situation.
We should not forget that India harbours sordid designs against us and it has remained involved in sabotage acts especially in Karachi and Balochistan.
The terrorist acts against Pakistan Stock Exchange and Chinese consulate are before us and still very much fresh in the minds of people.
Then ever-rising figures of street crimes and especially car and mobile phone snatchings are rampant.
In 2019, 15,058 mobile phones were snatched and this figure went up to 16,765 this year so far.
In such incidents, criminals even resort to killings when they face any sort of resistance.
The situation indeed warrants a serious look at city’s security so that sense of security created by the operation of security forces does not ebb away.
Hence, safe city project needs to be put in place at the earliest and that too in a single phase. No compromise can be made for protection of life and properties of people.
We will suggest that a mobile app be also developed on which complaints of mobile phone, car, bike and other snatching and robberies could be filed at once without visiting the police station.
This will help police department activate their force all over the city to arrest criminals involved in such heinous crimes.
