Crime falls sharply as Sindh strengthens policing, anti-dacoit operations

KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2026) Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday said sustained law enforcement measures, technology-driven policing and institutional reforms had led to a significant improvement in public safety across the province during the outgoing fiscal year.

Presenting the Sindh Budget 2026-27 in the Sindh Assembly, the chief minister said Rs7.3 billion had been allocated for development initiatives aimed at strengthening law and order and the policing network across the province.

He told the House that effective policing and intelligence-led operations had resulted in a substantial decline in crime, particularly in Karachi, where vehicle theft and snatching cases dropped by 67 per cent and violent street robberies by 54 per cent. The overall crime detection rate improved to 81 per cent.

Murad Ali Shah said the government had continued its crackdown on criminal gangs operating in the Katcha areas of Shikarpur, Kashmore and Ghotki. He said Rs872 million was utilised on anti-dacoit operations during FY2025-26, leading to 141 encounters, the killing of 48 dacoits, arrest of 140 suspects and surrender of 475 outlaws under the government's surrender policy.

He said law enforcement agencies had also succeeded in clearing nearly 115,000 acres of Katcha land from criminal influence.

Highlighting counter-terrorism efforts, the Chief Minister said the Counter Terrorism Department's Fusion Centre had been fully operationalised at a cost of Rs772 million, while work on its second phase was under way.

<?php /*?> <?php */?>

He said the facility processed 952 pieces of digital evidence and analysed 164 CCTV and video recordings, strengthening intelligence-based investigations and contributing to the neutralisation of 210 terrorists and the arrest of several high-value suspects.

"As a result of these efforts, Sindh has remained largely free from major terrorist incidents since late 2024," he said.

The Chief Minister said the government had also introduced technology-based traffic management reforms, including an AI-powered faceless e-ticketing system that generated more than 1.07 million e-tickets and collected Rs840.7 million in fines.

He said the initiative contributed to a 32 per cent reduction in traffic accidents, a 31 per cent decline in fatalities and a 39 per cent decrease in injuries compared with the previous year.

Murad Ali Shah said the Safe City surveillance network had surpassed its installation target, with 1,325 smart cameras equipped with facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition technology now operational.

To further strengthen policing capacity, he said, 1,487 Assistant Sub-Inspectors had been recruited, while the government had approved the recruitment of 2,000 investigation officers to enhance investigative capabilities.

He added that modernisation work was also under way at 40 model police stations across Sindh as part of broader efforts to build a more efficient, responsive and technologically advanced law enforcement system.