PESHAWAR – The Peshawar crime crackdown starts with a number: 881. Capital City Police have named that many wanted suspects and set themselves 15 days to arrest them. It is a bold pledge. It is also a public test, and the force has written its own exam paper.
Setting a target is easy. Meeting it is hard. Police have drawn a clear line, so residents can now measure results against it. If the arrests arrive within the fortnight, the pledge will stand as a success. If they do not, the deadline will become a verdict on the force.
So the next two weeks matter. Citizens do not want press notes. They want proof that police place their lives and property first. A list of names is only a start.
The problem does not live only on the street. Corrupt officers, facilitators and patrons shield offenders, and no campaign works while those shields stay up. When collusion, neglect or wilful blindness helps criminals, police leaders must act against the officers responsible. They must act without favour.
Lists of suspects will not be enough either. Police must also break the networks and the patronage that keep crime alive. Otherwise, new offenders will simply replace the arrested ones.
Start with the drug dens
Drug dens deserve first attention. The trade feeds theft, street robbery and other offences, so closing the dens cuts crime near its roots. Officers should also pursue other illegal activity, within the law. Nobody should enjoy an exemption.
Yet police cannot carry this burden alone. The district administration, anti-narcotics agencies and other law enforcement bodies must share the work. A joint strategy, rather than separate drives, gives the Peshawar crime crackdown its best chance.
What success looks like
Success will not mean 881 arrests alone. Commuters must travel without fear. Women must feel safe. And the law must grip the powerful as firmly as it grips the poor. Until that day, the Peshawar crime crackdown remains a promise rather than a result.
