• Official data shows over 64,000 street crimes reported in outgoing year compared to 71,105 in 2024 • More than 46,000 citizens lost their cars / bikes, over 17,000 their cell phones in 2025 KARACHI: Although police have claimed a significant reduction in the overall crime rate for the outgoing year, muggers, carjackers and mobilephone snatchers continue to haunt Karachiites in 2025, with official figures showing over 64,000 street crime incidents and more than 70 deaths resulting from these crimes. The precise figure of 64,323 incidents is based on the number of FIRs registered during the outgoing year. However, the actual number of street crimes is believed to be much higher as there are a large number of victims who have either been turned away by the police or have chosen not to visit a police station to register a case of looting. According to comparative street crime data of Karachi maintained by the police, a total of 64,323 incidents of street crimes — robbery, cell phone snatching, vehicle snatching / theft — have been reported in the outgoing year of 2025 as compared to a total 71,105 such incidents in 2024, showing a reduction of 6,782 street crimes. The data show a total of 70 people were killed and 290 wounded by street criminals till the first week of December 2025, whereas in 2024 a total of 99 people were gunned down and 400 others injured by robbers. The police say that during the same period of 12 months, a total of 17,706 mobile phones were snatched at gunpoint while during corresponding period in 2024, a total of 19,353 cell phones were snatched. The police data say that 6,683 vehicles (302 cars and 6,381 motorcycles) were hijacked at gunpoint in 2025 as compared to 8,370 of last year. As many as 39,934 vehicles (1,813 cars and 38,121 motorbikes) were stolen as compared to 43,382 vehicles of last year. Analysis by expert Analyst Dr Zoha Waseem, who teaches criminology at the University of Warwick, UK, and has done extensive research on policing and crimes in the metropolis, believes that a comparison of just two years is not a good benchmark as at least five- or 10-year data is required to assess whether crimes have been prevented or only a perception of “safe city” has developed. She says there is no better data collection as all incidents are not reported because people still do not like to approach police. She opines that maybe only half of the total cases are being reported as there is no estimation about unreported number of cases in the metropolis. Dr Waseem says there is no study or research to assess people’s perception about police or state as to whether any improvement has occurred in the public perception. “There has been no research that public perception has been improved and people feel safer and the city as safe,” Dr Waseem says. “There is no study or survey that people’s perception has improved and the people are happy about performance of the police or the government. I have not seen such thing and I am not sure about the extent of achievement of the law enforcers,” she says, adding: “But if there is a trend that over a period of time, the number of crimes has gone down, then you could say they are doing good job.” Carjacking ‘declines’ due to use of technology Citizens-Police Liaison Commission (CPLC) Chief Zubair Habib opines that snatching of vehicles and cell phones is on decline partly because of use of technology (installation of CCTV cameras). As with the use of this technology, the criminals are being detected and arrested, he adds. Mr Habib suggests that the way forward for controlling crimes, despite rising unemployment and closure of factories and migration of people to Dubai or other countries, lies in utilisation of technology. Another major step that needs to be taken pertains to improving “Thana culture”, he adds. He says that the Thana culture should be turned into service oriented. As the use of technology has “ended” the “corruption” of traffic police through e-challan system , such technology should also be used at the police stations to end corruption of the police, he suggests. IGP takes pride in crime reduction Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon told Dawn that there is an overall reduction in crime despite significant challenges. He says this achievement has been made “despite severe socio-economic challenges, including inflation, unemployment, urban migration, and population growth”. Regarding street crimes in Karachi, the IG says this crime has also been “contained”. “Karachi is witnessing a stabilisation and gradual containment and reduction in street crime in 2025, preventing escalation despite economic stress and population growth,” says the top cop of Sindh. “The daily average street crimes has declined from 1.36 per day in the year 2024 to 1.04 per day in the year 2025.” He says “violent robberies” have also been kept under check. “The incidents of robbery with murder and injury have remained contained and closely monitored, with 70 fatalities and 290 injuries recorded during the year 2025 as compared to 99 fatalities and 400 injuries during the year 2024.” The IGP cites a host of steps behind the reduction in street crimes. He says that the police are focused on operations against armed gangs and habitual offenders, which has helped prevent “a wider spike in violent crime”. Besides, targeted and intelligence-led policing has also been initiated, he adds. He says that the police have emphasised data-driven deployments, snap checking, weapons recovery, and repeat offender tackling, which have delivered “tangible results in high-crime corridors”. Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2026