This is something that really severely affects a lot of people living in Karachi and, increasingly, all over the country. Cell phone thefts are not the only problem. Thefts of car CD players, wheel rims and side-view mirrors are all on the rise. Our cities are turning into very dangerous places and if you read the Editorial below its obvious that things are not getting better. A lot of the people who have left the city in the recent past cite religious extremism, increasing traffic, water problems, electricity problems and, above all, crime as their reasons for leaving the city. All are problems; none are impossible to resolve. As the figures below show things have only gotten worse since last year even though new initiatives have been started to catch cell phone thieves. They are definitely not working.
Dawn’s editorial of February 20, 2007:
THAT 1,967 phones were snatched or stolen in the first fortnight of this month in Karachi makes for depressing reading, especially when compared to last year’s figures for the same period. Whereas 750 cell phones were snatched and 1,055 stolen in the first two weeks of February last year, this year the numbers are 829 snatched and 1,138 stolen. This is a sharp rebuttal of the claim made by the law enforcement agencies which routinely say that they are working hard to combat this crime. It also shows that the anti-mobile phone theft device, which was implemented on Sept 30 by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority in an effort to arrest the number of phones being stolen, has failed to make an impact. This could be because users are still not aware of the anti-theft device and the procedure required or they may just not be registering their complaints with the police. In either case, the solution is simple: publicise the information as much as possible and encourage people to step forward and report the crime. This may not necessarily result in containing thefts but it will at least help the authorities figure out a better strategy to deal with the problem. For example, if authorities are able to figure out which areas record the highest number of snatchings and when, they may be able to deploy more police personnel in those areas. The authorities will have to come up with innovative ideas to deal with this menace because so far existing methods have proved a failure.
The PTA too will have to assess the performance of the anti-mobile phone theft device system and ask why it hasn’t received the results it had hoped for. It must, for example, ensure that all mobile phone companies are complying with PTA demand that would make sure that this system is effectively put in place. The agencies that do not stand to financially benefit from the anti-theft system should be penalised for not complying with PTA rules.
0 Responses to “Rising cell phone thefts”