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KABUL: Police officers are now allowed to use deadly force against criminals and shoot them down when necessary, a draconian law that is aimed at curbing crime in Kabul city.
The new law allows police forces to shoot fleeing felons to stop criminals from freely roaming around in the city and addressing lingering woes about an epic rise in offences.
Acting Minister of Interior Massoud Andarabi on Saturday night met with Kabul security executors and officials to plan a security beef-up, spokesman to the Interior Ministry Tareq Aryan told Afghanistan.
“The minister has visited Kabul entrance gates, police headquarters and security checkpoints in Kabul city. He ordered the police to fire at criminals and shoot them down,” said Aryan.
He told security apparatus in Kabul city to stop criminals from wandering freely in Kabul city and perpetrating crimes. “Security situation must be improved in Kabul,” he said quoting minister Andarabi.
This comes while Kabul police has begun a systematic and vigorous crackdown against criminals, introducing new unprecedented measures aimed at driving down spiraling crime in Kabul city.
The new approach focuses more vigilance on the streets, increases the use of stop and search and incarcerates more offenders and criminals. Over the past weeks alone, we have arrested 800 criminal offenders, said Tareq Aryan.
He said the police have begun a more vigorous combat against criminal networks in Kabul city to address the growing concerns about the steep increase in violent crime.
“We stepped up our vigilance and security measures in 5th PD, an effort that reduced crime substantially,” he said, vowing that the same anti-crime paradigm will be implemented for all districts of Kabul city.
He said the police have arrested more than 11,000 people on criminal charges over the past six months. “Many of them are teenagers and young adults,” he said. “That rings a bell. There are many factors that contribute to the rise of crime including poverty, illiteracy and social complications which are exacerbated by an overpopulated city of Kabul,” said Tareq Aryan.
