Crimes besides terror attacks have plagued the lives of residents of Kabul city. Criminal incidents take place nearly in all parts of the city in broad daylight, and in majority cases, the perpetrators do not get punished to dissuade them from committing similar crimes in the future. At first, the security institutions don’t succeed in arresting the culprits of criminal incidents, but even if they somehow manage it to do so, the culprits are not punished due to corruption in the security, legal and judicial organizations, which not only embolden them to commit more illegal acts but also other offenders not to fear the laws. It is the main reason that crime rate in the city is at its peak, turning life for almost five million people, the majority of whom have rolled into the city because of insecurity in rural areas, into a nightmare.
Although promises are made to improve security in Kabul with every leadership change in the security apparatus, especially the Kabul Police, they have not been translated into actions yet, and the criminals continue to be a serious threat to the dwellers of the city. If it was dangerous to travel in the city only at night until a few years back, now are people scared, and feel unsafe also in broad daylight. Previously, criminal incidents would occur only in certain areas, now no area is safe. From downtown Kabul to the outskirts, there are reports of criminal incidents on a daily basis across the city.
As the capital of the country central to government’s rule, the security of Kabul comes at the core of government responsibilities. If the security apparatus is reformed and existing resources are appropriately utilized, it is possible to secure Kabul city. Government leadership must truly give priority to the security of the capital, and think about the lives of ordinary citizens as well in addition to the few powerful living behind concrete blast walls. The protection of lives and property of people is among the key duties of government which cannot be fulfilled only by using unjustifiable pretexts. Kabul residents want security, and it is their legal right.
