Within Week, Dual Rs 2.3m Robberies In I-8 Expose Islamabad Safe City Farce

ISLAMABAD, Oct 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Oct, 2020 ) :The robbers continue to exposing the farce of so-called Islamabad Safe City having hit twice just in sector I-8 depriving two individuals of Rs 2.3 million at gun point in broad daylight.

Be it the police check posts, safe city cameras or police patrolling, nothing could stop the criminals who continue to making mockery of the ICT police's performance.

As the police was yet to arrest the robbers who looted Rs 800,000 from Ishtiaq Ahmed, senior reporter of Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) in sector I-8/1 on September 23, they robbed another man Athar Ejaz a week later on September 30 in I-8 Markaz depriving him of Rs 1.5 million.

The criminals manage to escape easily even using main avenues or through the populated sectors having 'confidence' over the working of the cameras.

The criminals usually remove the front registration plate to dodge the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at 208 points across the Federal capital.

"This is the police's duty to ensure the bikers have front number plates. How the people wearing helmet or pillion rider with face masks in COVID days can be recognized by cameras. The only reliable identification sources remains the standard number plate," said Mahmood, a resident of I-8.

The box or dome cameras installed at different points are also unable to give a recognizable picture of the people even at a small distance.

The robbers who chased the APP reporter from I-8 markaz, were seen awaiting him at I-8 Markaz parking lot, just few dozen feet away from the Safe City camera. But their faces are unrecognizable.

The picture cant be zoomed in enough due to quality issue.

"The misplacement of cameras in also an issue. Why don't the authorities install cameras at the escape routes usually used by the criminals to enter Rawalpindi or the rural areas?" said Suleman, working in a private company at I-8 Markaz.

Akbar Abbasi, another I-8 resident pointed demanded the police to permanently close down the "shortcut ways' used by the bikers by breaking road medians or removing concrete blocks which also keeps them from cameras.

"The police placed concrete blocks to close the service road along Metro track at Faizabad. But the bikers managed their way by skidding barricade. They violate the closure throughout the day but police deployed at check post shows blithe lack of concern, he criticized.

Muhammad Arshad, another victim of robbery took place on September 9 in G-9, demanded the ICT police to enforce the use of standardized number plates issued by the Excise Office only readable by the cameras.

"Most of the 125cc bikes � the conveyance usually used by the criminals too - are seen without front or even both number plates. Such a huge investment on Safe City project is useless if the police don't ensure the vehicles use the standard number plates," he commented.

Talking to APP, a senior police officer said the authorities were working over a second phase of Safe City cameras to enhance the coverage and fill plug the loopholes.

He said the ICT police continued to nab the bikers without number plates but also complained the dearth of manpower and resources to cope with multiplied traffic flow and population in last few years.