Crime rate declines by 25 per cent

This is also the lowest level of crime recorded in the Sultanate during the last three years

MUSCAT: A 25 per cent decline in crime was registered in the Sultanate during 2016 against the figure for 2015, according to official data.

This is also the lowest level recorded in the last three years (2014-2016).

The number of perpetrators decreased by 22.8 per cent to reach 20,577, compared with 26,655 in 2015, according to the statistical data bulletin on crimes in the Sultanate in 2016 issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

Expatriate offenders

Data showed that the percentage of foreign offenders among the total number of offenders was 50 per cent. Three crimes are committed in the Sultanate every two hours and for every thousand of the population. There are five offenders among every thousand, according to the NCSI data.

More than half of the crimes were recorded in three governorates: Muscat, North Al Batinah and Dhofar, while the least crime was recorded in the Governorate of Musandam at a rate of 1.5 per cent. The Governorate of Al Wusta recorded the lowest percentage of perpetrators at 1.5 per cent of the total population.

Violation of regulations and laws formed the highest percentage of offenders at 22.8 per cent. A large percentage of violation was entering the country illegally (69 per cent), violation of the law of residence of foreigners and the violation of the Labour Law was committed by 29.8 per cent of the offenders under this category. The other crimes in this classifi- cation included violation of fishing laws and the Omani passport and personal card.

The percentage of perpetrators of crimes against individuals amounted to 21.6 per cent. This category of offences included abuse (38.5 per cent), insulting dignity (26.7 per cent), violating the sanctity of housing (13.8 per cent), quarrel (6.7 per cent), threat and intimidation (5.6 per cent), and 5 per cent. Other crimes committed under this category were pegged at 3.6 per cent.

Financial offences

Perpetrators of financial offences constituted 20.3 per cent of the total number of offenders. This includes theft and attempted theft, committed by 59.4 per cent of the offenders, abuse of the trust (17.4 per cent), fraud (10.9 per cent), damage (10.1 per cent) and intentionally setting fire to property (1.7 per cent).

Crimes of money laundering and fire by negligence were committed by 0.4 per cent of the perpetrators in this category.

The percentage of offenders in the crimes related to dealing with drugs amounted to 17.4 per cent of the total number of offenders, while the percentage of crimes against the public administration and public trust was 4.6 per cent.

Forgery

The other crimes in the category included forgery (35.2 per cent), insulting employees (14.7 per cent), misuse of job (13.4 per cent), promotion of counterfeit currency (5.2 per cent), and other impersonation of the employee, fulfilling the right and falsifying identity, providing false information, bribery, embezzlement, perjury, forgery and counterfeiting (5.1 per cent each).

The perpetrators of the crimes related to drinking and alcohol accounted for 3.6 per cent of the total culprits. This category included the crime of drinking committed by 66.3 per cent and the smuggling, trade and manufacture of alcohol by committed by 33.7 per cent.