Serious crime rate in Sharjah falls 45%
10,486 CAMERAS MONITOR EMIRATE’S ROADS NOW; POLICE CITE 7% INCREASE IN DRUG-RELATED CASES LAST YEAR
Anew mechanism implemented by Sharjah Police to track movements of people with criminal records has led to a significant reduction in serious crime, officials have said.
The rate of serious crimes fell 45 per cent last year in Sharjah, and overall the crime rate dropped 7.37 per cent last year compared to 2016.
The decrease in crime follows ramped up efforts, security and strategies to fight crime, senior officials said during a briefing about the force’s performance last year, the officials told mediapersons.
Last year, 12,633 crimes were recorded with Sharjah Police, compared to 13,638 crimes recorded in 2016. Also, 837 serious crimes took place in 2017, compared to 1,511 in 2016.
Major General Saif Al Ziri Al Shamsi, commander-inchief of Sharjah Police said the media has a key role in enhancing the security and safety of the country by promoting and spreading awareness of fighting efforts.
Brigadier Mohammad Rashid Bayat, director of operations, said the General Department of Criminal Investigation achieved 100 per cent success in arresting culprits involved in serious crimes.
The rate of serious crimes fell by 45 per cent last year in Sharjah and the overall crime rate dropped by 7.37 per cent compared to 2016, Sharjah Police officials have said.
The decrease follows ramped-up efforts, security and strategies to fight crime, senior officials said during a briefing about the force’s 2017 performance on Wednesday.
In 2017, 12,633 crimes were recorded with Sharjah Police, compared to 13,638 crimes recorded in 2016.
There had also been an improvement in people’s perception, with 97 per cent of people reporting feeling safe in Sharjah last year, compared to 92 per cent in 2016.
Major-General Saif Al Ziri Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police; Brigadier Abdullah Mubarak Bin Amer, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police; and Brigadier Mohammad Rashid Bayat, director of operations, addressed the briefing.
Brig Bayat said the General Department of Criminal Investigation achieved 100 per cent success in arresting culprits involved in serious crimes. He attributed the lower crime rate to a new mechanism that involves tracking movements of suspects who were previously involved in criminal activities.
Those who committed serious crimes, such as murder, robbery and assault, are now behind bars. Perpetrators who had managed to flee the country were arrested later, he said. In most incidents, the police arrested the culprits before they could flee the country.
Brig Bayat said the police have drawn up a plan for early crime prevention, including an intense awareness campaign to spread the culture of respecting the law. Also, patrolling has been intensified on roads and in crime-prone areas.
Brig Bin Amer said the police installed 10,486 high-tech CCTV cameras in the city, becoming the third police force in the world to implement this advanced surveillance system.
Also, a security culture programme for schools has been adopted to tackle bad behaviour such as absenteeism, smoking, bullying and violence.
Brig Bayat said the drop in the crime rate was also brought about by activating constructive initiatives that aimed to settle disputes such as the ‘Reconciliation is the Best Way’ initiative, boosting cooperation between community members and the police. He said financial disputes formed 40.7 per cent of criminal cases. In 2017, Sharjah Police settled more than Dh347 million worth of financial disputes without having to refer cases to courts, while Dh345.8 million worth of financial disputes were settled in 2016.
However, Sharjah witnessed a seven per cent increase in drug-related cases in 2017, with police recording 767 such cases, compared to 712 cases in 2016. The police seized 9.5 million tablets of narcotics and 400kg of narcotic substances.