BAHAWALPUR: Criminals have apparently taken control of the divisional headquarters. There are 24 police stations in the district out of which 18 are headed by junior sub-inspectors as station house officers and senior sub-inspectors had been sidelined on some unknown pretext. Sources in the Police Department told Daily Times that crime rate was on the rise in the city in the last four months. A police official said on condition of anonymity that the senior management discouraged lodging of FIRs against robbery and other crimes. He said in the past open courts were regularly held for timely resolution of complaints of people but this has discontinued.