KARACHI:  In an innovative move, Karachi Police are deploying an armed rollerblading unit to curb theft and harassment on its teeming streets.

Farrukh Ali, chief of the unit said, "We felt we needed to come up with an innovative approach to control street crime." He further explained that officers on rollerblades could more easily chase thieves on motorcycles through the city of 20 million. Safety concerns were raised when the video of the Karachi unit's training showed officers carrying heavier weapons, but Ali said the unit would only carry handguns, reducing the risk of bullets richocheting.

The rollerblading police are expected to begin officially next month, but they were recently spotted outside the venue of the Pakistan Super League cricket tournament. And they have already started patrolling Karachi's bustling beachfront. Pedestrian Muhammad Azeem, said, "Seeing them here in clean uniforms since the morning gives us a sense of security, as even in daytime, snatchings occur here."

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