Despite an improvement in the performance of the policemen to counter the increasing crime and terror activities in the city, the condition of the police infrastructure, particularly the police stations building, and controversies over the jurisdiction of two or more police precincts are damaging the performance of the policemen at the cost of an increase in the crime rate.
The controversy over jurisdiction of police stations in the city is an important reason for an increase in crime while the police administration seems to be unable to resolve the issue. Some of the police buildings are in such worse conditions that they are risk to the lives of the policemen while bringing their morale down and badly damaging their performance. Police have failed to set exact jurisdictions of different police stations in the city while the criminals take full advantage of the controversy. Station House Officers (SHOs) show hesitation in taking responsibility of the crimes in disputed jurisdictions.
Well-placed sources in the police department, responsible for maintaining law and order situation, said that the re-demarcation of the jurisdictions of the existing police stations in the city was initiated in August 2001 under the police department restructuring plan, but it was abandoned for unknown reasons. It was proposed that the number of police stations (107 with seven check posts) should not be increased. At some places, a police station covers two or three union councils and at others it covers one union council only, depending upon the population of the union councils. Although the local bodies system has come to an end, yet the jurisdiction of the police stations still exists according to the same setup.
The government is also responsible in not providing buildings for the police stations in some jurisdiction as some of the police stations have got overlapping jurisdiction causing problems.
Methadar police station does not have its own building and exists in the jurisdiction of Kharadar police station while Shairshah police station exists in the area of Maripur police station. Same goes for the Kalakot police station which is in the boundary of Chakiwara police station, Nabi Bakhsh police station is in the jurisdiction of Garden police station, Baghdadi police station is in the area of Kalri police station, Clifton police station is in the circle of Boat Bason police station, Sohrab Goth police station is positioned in the borders of Sachal Goth police station, New Karachi police station is situated in Ayubb Goth police station, Aram Bagh police station is situated in Metha Dar police station borders, Gabol Town police station is in Taimoorya police station area and Fariar police station is in the jurisdiction of Boat Bason police station.
Interestingly some police stations, not having their own buildings, exist in containers. The policemen, deputed in Tippu Sultan police station, took a container from Karachi Port Trust and are using it as their office (police station). Another police station, Civil Lines, Which lost its status in 2004 and got back in 2010, had been set up in a container for a long time but later the police personnel constructed two rooms alongside the wall of CID Civil Lines office and shifted the police station in the newly constructed rooms.
Gulistan Johar police station is facing a unique problem as it has shifted thrice to different places but has not been able to obtain its own building from the government. It was first set up in the building of Shahra Faisal police station and later shifted to a vacant plot in front of Rabia City project. Then it shifted to another building when the administration of a patrol pump claimed that plot and asked the administration of the police station to leave. The police station then shifted to a plot in the Nawaz Sharif Flats Project, where it is still set up, paying rent to its owner.
Baloch Colony police station also does not have its own building and has shifted to several places. At the time, the police station is set up on a drainage channel that has made the working of the police personnel almost impossible as well as that of the local community.
The buildings of some of the police stations are in very dilapidated condition and are a risk for the lives of the police personnel. Jackson police station is the oldest police station of the city and the building in which it is working right now could be claimed a national heritage as it was constructed in 1924. The building is in poor condition and has not been renovated so far except for maybe being whitewashed. Some of the police stations lack lockups due to the poor condition of their buildings. Mobena Town, Gabol Town, New Town, Bilal Town, Mochko police stations and several others don’t have any place to keep the arrested criminals. The said police stations are compelled to shift their arrested to other police stations where such facilities are available.
The confusion on the jurisdiction is normally found in the border areas of different police stations. The controversy is of great importance between the Gulistan Johar police station and Shahra Faisal police station. Each side of the Shahra Faisal is a boundary for the jurisdiction of the respective police stations. However, when crimes do occur, the controversy over the jurisdiction takes many turns, with each police station trying to avoid taking the responsibility. Same happens between the Shahra Faisal police station and Aziz Bhatti police station.
The police department has not considered a reduction in the number of police stations in the city. The sources say that at present there are a total of 107 police stations in Karachi; 27 in defunct district South, 15 in Malir, 24 in East, 17 in West and 25 in Central.
