A steep fall in crimes in Qatar makes it the most peaceful country in the Arab world
Major crimes fell by almost half in Qatar last year, enabling it to retain the coveted position as the most peaceful country in the Middle East based on Global Peace Index.
But cybercrimes showed a rise of almost 52 percent in the year over 2014 mainly due to the spread of technology and social media networks.
Users showed less caution in using social media and other tools and breached rules in dealing with the new technology, said the Ministry of Interior.
Some 8,900 individuals and companies were either banned or blacklisted last year for breaching human rights norms.
Some 10,068 air tickets were provided to expatriates who could not pay for their travel home while leaving the country for good.
Authorities launched at least 90 inspection campaigns in 2015 to check compliance with local laws.
Some 2,145 people turned themselves in, expressing their desire to leave for their home countries for good.
A total of 30,874 persons were detained in the year as they were found breaking laws and procedures.
The Ministry yesterday released highlights of ‘Security and Services Statistical Report” for the year 2015.
The rate of major crimes declined by 48 percent in 2015 over the previous year and the ratios were 90.7 percent to 99.1 percent less than global averages.
Complaints about major crimes were down by 49 percent.
There was a fall of 3.5 percent in the number of complaints received by public security agencies in 2015.
Public security personnel arrested 590 men and women (most of them outsiders) suspected of begging, which is a crime.
The Ministry achieved ‘new accomplishments’ in regional and international cooperation with different agencies and other countries to combat drug trafficking and abuse. The Civil Defence achieved a best average response time of 8.4 minutes in reaching fire sites.
Qatar, represented by the Interior Ministry, showed positive statistical indicators for security and safety systems in 2015. These indicators were in keeping with global benchmarks that measure the state of peace and security in different countries.
Figures show a substantial decrease (48 to 49.2 percent) in the number of lawsuits and major crimes, including murder, aggravated assault, rape, kidnapping, robbery and arson.
The ministry’s figures show that crimes reported in 2015 fell 3.5 percent over 2014 despite a population growth of 9.2 percent.
Some geographical areas witnessed noticeable drop in crime rates. Dukhan emerged as the most peaceful place in Qatar as no major lawsuit or crime was reported last year.
The Capital Security Department’s jurisdiction saw a decline of 69 to 73 percent. Al Shamal and Al Rayan areas witnessed 18 percent decline in crimes.
While the global ratio for rape was 25 per 100,000 people, in Qatar it was 0.25 and robbery ratio was 0.13 compared to world average of 100 (per 100,000 people).
Traffic violations also declined in the year which led to reduced mishaps and deaths and injuries.
The number of accident-related deaths per 100,000 residents fell by 4.8 percent in 2015. Traffic violations fell by 4.7 percent in the past two years, and totalled 1.72 million last year. [The Peninsula]
(Cover image courtesy: Xavier Bouchevreau)
WT: Well said.. You break the law, then you should pay the fine or go to jail.
yes, I use to travel from Umsalal to west bay on a daily basis for last couple of years.
I cant remember a date which i did not find an accident.
I have been driving in Qatar every day for the last 21 years. I have never gotten a traffic fine. However, many people here think it's okay to violate the laws. I call them criminals. And the roads are full of them. It has nothing to do with the presence of the police force, it has a lot to do with the state of mind and the integrity of the people themselves.
Yes, Driving in the road is not safe at all.
However I think Qatar has a good system of capturing or regulating the violations and other incidents.
No one can be out of this.
In our countries, may be all the violations are not recorded due to the resources and base expenses to regulate those mechanism.
1.72 million traffic violations? That means 1.72 million criminals on the roads. Very safe, indeed.
Qatar always deserves the best .....
It feels an incredibly safe place. One thing I noticed coming from the UK. I'd be worried wandering round London at night, whereas here you could wander round, on your own all night and not have an ounce of trouble.
Thank you Qatar...
That's why we love it.
That's why we love it.