report in The Express Tribune, Dec 24, 2020
KARACHI: The Karachi Police provided entertainment fodder for Twitterati on Wednesday, with its announcement to launch a skater police force, initially comprising 10 female and 10 male police personnel on skates.
Videos circulated by the police department depicting police personnel gliding on skates, taking aim at pretend targets, were soon improvised by social media users with soundtracks and other such gimmicks adding to the hilarity. The cops, however, say they have a plan.
According to the police, the personnel on skaters will come under the Special Security Unit, and will catch criminals who evade arrest benefitting from traffic jams, roadblocks, and the like.
The skaters have already undergone a month-long training equipping them with skills to cross hurdles – climbing up and down stairs, for instance, – and handle arms while on skates. Further training is underway.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Security and Emergency Services Division DIG Maqsood Ahmed said that the skater force will be deployed at traffic signals and hotspots, where street crime is frequent. Only 20 cops are being trained for this special force in the initial phase, he said, adding that more young officers may be added later.
The skater force will reach their assigned duty points in police vans and will be accompanied by other officers on patrol, told Ahmed. They will be tasked with chasing suspects who flit through stagnant traffic, take cover behind parked cars, run off into narrow alleys or street corners, and the like.
“If we [skater force] can prevent even one incident of street crime, or respond effectively to a complaint, we will consider this a success,” said Ahmed. He added that the skater force may also be deployed inside and in the vicinity of shopping malls, which are frequently targeted by pickpockets and snatchers.
The personnel on skates will not alone but will be accompanied by other patrol teams, he elaborated, adding that the former is meant to assist the latter.
But how will the police officers skate on Karachi’s dilapidated roads, one may ask?
The skater police will only be deployed in areas with properly constructed roads, said Police Spokesperson Minhajur Rehman, giving the example of Sharae Faisal.
Seconding Ahmed, the spokesperson said that the skater force has been launched particularly to target blind spots that are not easily accessible via vans or on foot. In the initial phase, they will only be deployed in targeted areas that have been identified as street crime hotspots, he added.
The special task force is not on ground yet, said the spokesperson, maintaining that their training is still in process. They will be taught how to navigate hurdles like stairs or potholes and the like, he added.
The police are hopeful that this new special force will help curb street crime and claim that many countries have such skating forces in their police squad.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2277136/cops-adorn-roller-skates-to-curb-street-crime-in-karachi
