Concentration of crime : Hotspots flourish despite billions spent

LAHORE: The intelligent patrolling system of Lahore Police has failed to eradicate crime hotspots, analysis of data reveals.

Even busy roads of the city are not safe, as is shown when a comparison is made of data between January 1 to April 30, 2016, and the corresponding period of 2017. The system of “intelligent patrolling” has been devised after spending billions of rupees. A software crime mapping (geo-tagging of crime incidents on a map) has been developed to help point out clusters in the city.

Centralised Computerised Command and Control Centers (Ops Rooms) have been established at the DIG Operations Office, SP Model Town Office, SP City Office and Punjab Safe City Authority to help police monitor crime.

Two new patrolling forces, the Dolphin Force and Police Response Unit (PRU), equipped with latest technology as well as heavy bikes and motorcars, were introduced in 2016. The main objective of all this spending was to prevent the formation of clusters or hotspots and deploy patrolling forces, according to the city’s needs.

An analysis of robbery-bids in the first four months of 2016 and 2017 on Canal Road, Ring Road, Bhogiwal Road, Main Boulevard Gulshan-e-Ravi, Ferozpur Road and Raiwind Road showed that crime hotspots were a recurring phenomenon.

Canal Road (Harbanspura Underpass to Dharampura Underpass)

A total of 11 robbery bids were conducted in the first four months of 2017. Eight of these incidents took place between 9am and 9pm. During the same period in 2016, nine were registered. Seven of the bids occurred between 7am and 9pm.

Ring Road (Niazi Chowk to Saggian Bridge)

A total of 10 robberies were committed in this area till the end of April 2017 and six of them were from 10am to 9pm. In the corresponding period of 2016, nine robberies were conducted.

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Bhogiwal Road

A total of six people were looted in the first four months of 2017 and five of these incidents occurred in the evening between 5pm and 8.30pm. This was an area that showed only a minor reduction as seven citizens were robbed in the corresponding period of 2016. Four of the robberies were conducted from 1pm to 9pm.

Main Boulevard Gulshan-e-Ravi

Six incidents of robbery were reported up till the end of April and all of them were between 12pm and 9pm. In 2016, there were seven cases registered in the corresponding period and each of the incidents occurred between 7pm and 9pm.

Ferozepur Road

In this area, six robberies were committed till the end of April and four of them were looted between 3pm and 9 pm. In 2016, four cases were registered. The cases included FIR No. 38, 165, 217 registered in Garden Town and 137 in Gulberg. All these robberies were committed between 5 pm and 10 pm.

Raiwind Road

Eight victims were looted on Raiwind Road and seven of the cases, registered at PS Raiwind City, were committed between 9am and 9pm. The eighth case was also registered at PS Raiwind City. In 2016, ten robberies were committed on Raiwind Road.

A senior police official who helped devise the system said authorities had, unfortunately, failed to implement modern technology on the grass-root level.

DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf said clusters occurred as crime shifted from one spot to another. He said the shift was to new areaswas enabled by the fact that crime-fighting resources were engaged in other duties. When asked about the recurrence of crime clusters at the same spots in 2016 and 2017, he suspected that the police station concerned may not have had patrolling vehicles at their disposal.

Source: The Express Tribune