KARACHI`s crime epidemic has robbed citizens of their freedom because the issue of safety is absent from the political debate. It does not help that the law enforcers suffer from a lack of understanding about the multiple factors that create offenders from low conviction rates, unemployment and lack of education to record inflation.

Recently, members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry met the city`s police chief and raised concerns over the uptick in violence, especially the surge in kidnappings for ransom, targeted killings and extortion, and their effect on the investment environment. There were the usual promises of clamping down on criminal elements; a committee, the police chief added, had been formed to look into these challenges.

Institutional crises in the criminal justice system police, judiciary and jails cannot be resolved through short-sighted strategies. The authorities need to work towards long-lasting crime-control solutions through structural reforms in all three components so that the rule of law and its execution are indiscriminate. The erstwhile provincial public safety and police complaints commission, a legislated watchdog body, has to be set in motion for an autonomous and authoritative police force, which, low on personnel, resources and clout, is playing second fiddle to the Sindh Rangers. Moreover, the CPLC, established in particularly turbulent times to serve as a bridge between citizens and police, should be strengthened with staff and rapid response mechanisms. Street crimes indicate deeper woes, such as our social justice deficit. Police and strategic arrangements patrolling and CCTV cameras are not enough. Safety structures require a holistic approach that does not rely on fearinducing methods or firefighting modes. Time has proven that police encounters are as ineffective as they are illegal. When the value of life is so little and socioeconomic realities so harsh, complacency can force circumstances to take a darker turn.