Serious crime rate falls to 39.95% per 100,000 people in Sharjah

Sharjah: The rate of serious crime in Sharjah fell to 39.95 per cent per 100,000 people last year, compared to 43.25 per cent the year before, according to Sharjah Police officials.

The decline in serious crime followed ramped-up efforts to fight crime, said senior officials during a briefing about the force’s performance here on Wednesday. There had also been an improvement in people’s perception, with 99.6 per cent saying that they felt safe in Sharjah during the day time last year, compared to 99 per cent the year before. While during the night, people’s perception was 95.7 per cent, compared to 92.3 per cent the year before. While the overall perception was 99.6 per cent.

Wednesday’s interaction, which was held under the slogan ‘Sharjah; Safety Heading’, was attended by Major-General Saif Al Ziri Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police; Brigadier Dr Ahmed Saeed Al Naour, Director-General of Central Operations, Sharjah Police; Brigadier General Ahmad Haji Al Serkal, Director General of Police Operations at Sharjah Police General Headquarters, and Brigadier General Ibrahim Al Ajel, Deputy Director General of Police Operations in Sharjah Police.

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, police arrested the culprits before they could flee the country.

Major General Al Shamsi also said police have drawn up a plan for early crime prevention, including an intense awareness campaign to spread the culture of respecting law. Police patrols have also been intensified on roads and in crime-prone areas to ensure the safety of residents, in addition to bicycle and marine patrols.

Major General Al Shamsi said that the drop in crime rate was also down to activating constructive initiatives that aimed to settle disputes, such as ‘Reconciliation is the Best Way’ initiative, boosting cooperation between community members and the police.

Sharjah also recorded 201 cases in drug-related cases last year. Police seized 3,403,132 tablets of narcotics and 1,167kg of narcotic substances with a street value of more than Dh135,486,886.

“The department spares no effort in raising awareness about the dangers of narcotics, especially among the youth as they are the most vulnerable,” said Brigadier Al Serkal.

Excellence Awards

Sharjah Police won seven awards of excellence at the local, regional and global levels during 2021, which varied between institutional and individual awards, represented by the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Excellence, Intelligence and Social Award, the Sharjah Excellence Award, the Sharjah Green Award, and the Sharjah Award for Social Responsibility. The Sharjah Award for Government Communication, the eighth session, and the Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work.