Punjab Police Inspector General (IGP) Khan Baig said on Thursday a decrease in the crime rate was the only way to improve the economic position of the province, and all resources to nip criminal activities should be utilised. Addressing a conference of RPOs and DPOs, Khan Baig said giving provision of security to the lives and property of the people was the duty and the top priority of the police force. He said there was a huge difference in the crime rate of Punjab and the other provinces. “The law and order situation in Punjab is much better,” he said. The IGP said it was vital to equip police stations of rural areas with modern technology to further decrease the crime rate. The Punjab police chief directed RPOs and the DPOs to accelerate the investigations into cases regarding missing persons, sectarian violence, bank robberies and gang rapes.