The number of criminal cases increased by 21 per cent last year, compared to 2023, top officials have said.
A total of 57,668 criminal reports were processed and investigated by the prosecutors last year, compared with 47,678 in 2023.
Details were released yesterday by Attorney General Dr Ali Al Buainain at an annual media briefing held at the Public Prosecution’s headquarters in the Diplomatic Area, in the presence of Head of Judicial Inspection Ahmed Al Hamadi and Assistant Attorney General Wael Buallay.
Dr Al Buainain said the rise in the number of criminal cases could be attributed to an increase in cybercrime, caused by the ever-evolving use of technology in our daily lives.
“This is the price of technology,” he added.
“We are very well aware of the price we have to pay for development. The use of electronic spaces has widened so much in all fields, areas and specialities that it has become a theatre for all kinds of crime.
“Even though we benefited a lot from digital advances, be it as the prosecution or as a society, there is also a dark side to it, like the ease of committing crime and difficulty in tracking money generated by crime.
“The prosecution is keeping up not only with the most recent developments in legislation but it is also increasing its capacity to combat ever-changing types of crime.”
However, Dr Al Buainain highlighted that 98pc of the cases were resolved – having either been dismissed or referred to court for trial.
Even though cases increased, the total number of verdicts issued by the criminal courts decreased by 22pc – with a total of 17,071 rulings in 2024 as against 21,978 in 2023.
In 2024, 61pc (10,415) of the verdicts were issued by the Lower Criminal Courts, 3pc (474) by the High Criminal Court and 36pc (6,182) by appeals courts.
Cases involving the misuse of telecommunication devices totalled 1,408, of which 807 involved social media. The most-reported platform was WhatsApp, making up more than half of the reports at 432, followed by Instagram (163), TikTok (82), Facebook (28) and Snapchat (54).
The adoption of e-services nearly doubled within a year, shooting up by 94pc from 9,002 in 2023 to a whopping 17,466 in 2024.
E-services offered by the Public Prosecution include the ability to submit requests to grant power of attorney, provide copies of court paperwork, remove travel bans, expedite cases and expunge criminal records, among others.
The number of decisions issued by the Sentencing and Execution Prosecution rose by 21pc, from 65,961 in 2023 to 79,851 in 2024.
Assistant Attorney General Wael Buallay added that the total number of forensic tests conducted – including toxicology, DNA analysis, forgery and medical reports – rose by 91pc, from 24,931 in 2023 to 47,681 in 2024.
“The Capital Governorate registered the highest number of cases at 14,599, followed by the Northern Governorate (6,433), Southern (5,842) and Muharraq (4,559),” he said.
Most cases fell under the following specialised prosecutions: 9,987 in the Cybercrimes Prosecution, 8,839 in the Ministries and Public Bodies Prosecution, 5,993 in the Family and Child Prosecution, 4,270 in the Traffic Prosecution and 1,273 in the Anti-Narcotics Directorate.
Prosecutions dedicated for each governorate receive cases that do not go to the specialised prosecutions mentioned.
Meanwhile, Dr Al Buainain also highlighted a series of innovations to the prosecution’s structure last year, including the establishment of an office to peacefully resolve family-related cases.
The year also saw the launch of a unit tasked with drafting court arguments and memos, in order to raise the prosecution’s engagement in criminal trials.
“The purpose of this unit is to improve the performance of the prosecution when it comes to the courts, and to strengthen our role in trials,” he said.
However, the star of these additions was the drafting of legislation related to artificial intelligence (AI) and its ethics, as Bahrain has been tasked by the GCC General Secretariat to start laying down a framework for AI policies.
Another decree enacted was the establishment of a team of prosecutors to conduct research about AI and how it could be used to streamline the prosecution’s services.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE
Revenue more than BD10 million was collected last year. This included seized funds and fines.
A total of BD2,295,752 was confiscated by the Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Prosecution; this included cash as well as the value of items such as gold and vehicles.
As per the Public Prosecution’s annual report, the amount raised through fines in various embezzlement, theft and corruption cases totalled BD3,369,376.
The Sentencing and Execution Prosecution collected BD4,554,757 from fines and confiscations that were part of court rulings.
In 2023, the prosecution collected BD15,139,826, but that fell by 48pc to BD10,219,885 in 2024.
FAMILY
A bureau to resolve family-related cases was opened by the Family and Child Prosecution in October last year, to help families solve issues without resorting to legal action.
Within two months, 162 cases were seen by the office, 62 of which were resolved out of court, while 100 continued with court procedures.
A total of 2,770 domestic violence cases were to the Family and Child Prosecution, decreasing only slightly from 2,807 in 2023 and 3,017 in 2022.
A total of 246 individuals are currently receiving assistance under Reaya, a social care initiative launched by the Public Prosecution – exactly double the number recorded the previous year (123).
The initiative, started in 2021 to help abused women and children recover from trauma, provides everything from psychiatric care to financial assistance to legal services.
ALTERNATIVE PENALTIES
The Public Prosecution revealed that 1,575 defendants benefited from alternative sentencing the vast majority of them being males (1,404), and included 79 women and 50 young people (aged 18 to 21).
A total of 827 convicts participated in community service, 643 attended rehabilitation and training workshops and 152 were ordered to repair the damage they caused by committing the crime.
Meanwhile, 219 received restraining orders, 400 were banned from specific locations, 126 were placed under house arrest and 390 were to be monitored through an electronic bracelet.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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