By Syed Raza Hassan
KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – Police in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, are deploying an armed skating unit to curb theft and harassment on its busy streets.
Sliding in a circle with its weapons pointed inward, and raising and lowering the weapons in unison, the black-clad 20-member unit undergoes rigorous training.
“We felt that we needed to come up with an innovative approach to controlling crime on the streets,” said Farrukh Ali, head of the unit, explaining that police on skates could more easily chase motorcycle thieves around the city of 20 million.
There he admitted that the rollerblading police could not be deployed in many parts of Karachi due to poor road conditions and rough roads, but said they would be sent to public places with a higher incidence of theft and harassment.
“This is just the beginning,” said Aneela Aslam, a police officer at the unit. “This rollerblading will benefit us a lot. With this training, we can reach narrow alleys very quickly, where it is usually difficult to go.”
Security concerns were raised when the first images of the Karachi unit’s training showed officers carrying heavier weapons, but Ali said the unit would only carry revolvers, reducing the risk of bullet rebound.
The rollerblading police – following in the footsteps of similar units in Europe and elsewhere – are expected to officially start next month, but have recently been located outside the Pakistan Super League cricket tournament.
And they have already started patrolling the bustling Karachi coastline.
“Seeing them here in clean uniforms since morning gives us a sense of security, since even during the day, thefts happen here,” said pedestrian Muhammad Azeem.
(Reporting by Syed Raza Hassan; Editing by Karishma Singh)