A Disorganised Capital.

Byline: Syeda Ishrat

Fatima an eleven-year-old girl had been raped - twice - in her northwest washington neighbourhood, as reported in the Washington Post on March 12, 2015. We see such headlines and crime reports through rapid reach, easy access, and increasing media influence. But, we seldom question ourselves or the media reporters about the basic understanding of crime. We rarely ask about the phenomenon of the formation and growth of societies. readers do not find the reason or look into the issues' root causes. Many of us, including social scientists and criminologists, believe the classical sociology school is irrelevant or has lost its value in contemporary globalised communities. However, the basics remain almost the same; other variables change depending on the economy, community construct and social structure, etc. Taking into context the crime report outlook of Islamabad, the verified statistics reported around 1831 crimes against the person, including murder, attempted murder, caused harm/ injury, kidnapping, and rape, were reported in 2022. while in the category of crime against property, almost 7185 cases were reported in the year 2022. Overall there is an increase in reported crime as compared to the year 2021, which is justified considering changing economic and social issues of the country. police managers and policymakers will analyse criminal incidents from spatial, temporal, geographical, and demographic lenses. However, focusing on one factor and justifying it through a couple of classical schools of thought of criminology would be more convenient and easier to reach an effective and focused crime analysis in the capital. The social disorganisation theory suggests that due to growing industrialisation, development, mobility/ migration (due to conflict, natural calamities, in search of labour or opportunities, education, etc.), the natural and interwoven social fabric becomes loose and starts to disintegrate. As a result, deviant behaviour and crime rate increases. Considering the elements of this theory, presented initially by Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay in 1947, which other sociologists have later improvised, can be aptly applied to the current conditions of islamabad Capital Territory as a case study. The social disorganisation theory, in this regard, talks about the impact of the location of the crime and social disorganisation on offense rather than focusing on the varieties of people-centric characteristics such...