2020 witnessed 18% decrease in murder cases — report

AMMAN — The Kingdom in 2020 witnessed 90 homicide and premeditated crimes and nine cases of beating that led to death, the Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI) announced on Tuesday, citing the 2020 criminal statistics report.

The report, issued by the Criminal Information Directorate, said that perpetrators of murder cases totalled 201 people, including seven women who constituted 3.5 per cent of the total number of perpetrators, according to a SIGI statement.

The number of victims, on the other hand, reached 99 people, including 22 women, constituting 22.2 per cent of victims.

The number of homicide and premeditated crimes in 2020 (the year of COVID-19) decreased by 18.2 per cent compared with 2019 that registered 110 cases with 115 victims.

SIGI noted that 3.48 per cent of perpetrators, seven people, were under the age of 18, while the age of 70 suspects ranged between 18 and 27 years (34.8 per cent), and 33.3 per cent of suspects (67 people) were between the ages of 28 and 37 years.

Thirty-five people (17.4 per cent) were aged between 38 and 47 years old, and 22 people (10.9 per cent) were over the age of 48 years, the institute added.  

As for victims of these crimes, 10 people (10.1 per cent) were under the age of 18 years, 24 people (24.2 per cent) were aged between 18 and 27 years old, 25 people (25.3 per cent) were between 28 and 37 years old, the report showed.

SIGI pointed out that 19.2 per cent of the victims (19 people) were aged between 38 and 47 years, while 21 people were 48 years and older, constituting 21.2 per cent of the total victims.

Firearms were the most used items for committing 34 murders (36.9 per cent) followed by sharp tools that accounted for 26 crimes (28.3 per cent) and strangling was used in seven crimes (7.6 per cent).

In terms of motive, personal and previous conflicts accounted for 47.8 per cent of the crimes (43 crimes) followed by family disputes with 28 crimes (31.1 per cent) and fights with seven crimes (7.8 per cent), while three crimes were committed under the pretext of “defending the honour” (3.3 per cent).

SIGI highlighted the importance of expanding the scopes of the law to include “defending the honour” crimes, where legislations should define precisely what such crimes mean.