Around 91 criminal gangs are operative in the city and nearly 345 criminals have been marked already. This was revealed by Capital City Police Officer Dr Ameer Ahmad Sheikh at a reception given by Rashid Ahmad Siddiqui, the president of the Karachi Business Forum and Think Tank. Dr Sheikh, who is also the additional Inspector General of Sindh, informed the gathering that the Police Department had prepared a list of 756 hardened criminals and investigation was underway to trace their whereabouts. During the past five years, he said, around 566 police personnel had been martyred in the line of duty and hundreds suffered injuries. The CCPO said that reforms were underway to make the police a citizens-friendly department. “My desire is to make police stations as safe spaces where law abiding citizens can come without any fear.” He said that the number of street crimes had gone up in the months of July and August this year compared to last year’s figures. However, he added that the trend was checked in the past week. The police chief informed the gathering that a police counseling centre was being established in the city to streamline the behaviour of police personnel. Published in Daily Times, August 22nd 2018.