Sargodha Police is in the process of implementing an effective and multi-pronged anti cattle-rustling strategy. Some of the key features of this strategy are Preventive Detention of Rassagirs (Patrons), Publishing a Black Book of habitual Catle Rustlers leading to their arrests (will be available on this website for download soon), established police pickets at all district entry-exit points and 100% surveillance of transportation of cattle within and outside the district from sunset to sunrise. To make this strategy a success story, Police needs an effective participation and feedback from the rural community. Sargodha Police understands that Internet is not a very effective medium for reaching out to the people in the villages. For this, we have a designed a separate strategy to reach out to the villagers through FM 93 and FM 96 Sargodha, Police Radio (will start soon) and telephonic feedback through Village Councils. We do not intend to employ the traditional and cumbersome method of theekri-pehra (volunteer watchmen) to prevent this crime, which causes great inconvenience to the people.
Traditionally, cattle rustling (theft) has been the main crime of the district. Previously, cattle rustlers were committing cattle theft by foot or by using horses. "Khoji" (foot-tracker) was the main man who used to assist the Police in detecting the criminals by using their foot-prints and patterns. "Thekri-pehra" (volunteer village watchmen) used to work as an effective strategy for prevention of this crime. Now times have changed. Cattle rustlers are mostly armed with lethal weapons. Mostly they steal but sometimes they snatch on gun-point and take the inmates at farm as hostage. Cattle Rustler Gangs are ever changing and they enlist criminals from far and wide, like districts of Gujrat, Mandi, Hafizabad, Chiniot, Faisalabad, Sheikhupura and sometimes even from KPK. In District Sargodha, incidents of Cattle theft may occur anywhere, but the areas of Police Stations Mid Ranjha, Mela, Laksian, Kot Momin, Bhagatanwala, Kirana and Sadar (along Chenab River) are the most affected. The extensive network of farm to market roads provides an excellent mobility for transporting the stolen cattle on trucks. With the changing method of crime, the strategy of the Police must change as well (see Cattle Watch).