Kuwait witnesses 26.9% drop in murder and self-assault crimes

• According to the Ministry of Justice, incoming cases increased from 34,373 in 2022 to 41,886 in 2023, a rise of 21.9% or 7,513 cases.

• The total number of misdemeanor cases increased from 23,414 in 2022 to 30,798 in 2023, a rise of 31.5% or 7,384 cases.

• Commercial misdemeanor cases increased from 9,829 in 2022 to 11,438 in 2023, a rise of 16.4% or 1,609 cases.

• Crimes of kidnapping, arrest, and detention dropped from 383 cases in 2022 to 353 cases in 2023, a decline of 30 cases or 7.8%.

The Public Prosecution in Kuwait is making significant efforts to uphold justice, fulfilling its duties by initiating public lawsuits, enforcing criminal laws, prosecuting offenders, and executing judicial sentences. These efforts underscore its commitment to maintaining public security and societal stability, as reported by Al Anba newspaper.

According to details from the “Annual Statistical Book” prepared by the Department of Statistics and Research in the Information Technology and Statistics Sector of the Ministry of Justice, as reported by Al-Anbaa newspaper, the year 2023 saw an increase in the overall number of received cases, encompassing misdemeanors and felonies, alongside a decrease in specific crimes such as murder, self-assault, property assault, honor-related offenses, kidnapping, arrest, detention, and others highlighted in the report.

This annual statistical book serves as a comprehensive and informative resource for specialists, researchers, and interested parties due to its valuable information, including numerical data and percentages across various case types. Below are the details:

According to the annual statistical book of the Ministry of Justice, the total number of incoming cases increased from 34,373 cases in 2022 to 41,886 cases in 2023, marking a rise of 7,513 cases or a growth rate of 21.9%.

1. Misdemeanor cases:

The book indicates that the total number of misdemeanor cases received increased from 23,414 cases in 2022 to 30,798 cases in 2023, reflecting a rise of 7,384 cases or a rate of 31.5%. This increase was driven by various case types in 2023 compared to the previous year, as detailed below:

• Environmental misdemeanors surged from 3,585 cases in 2022 to 9,627 cases in 2023, an increase of 6,042 cases or 168.5%.
• Cases involving drug offenses rose from 949 cases in 2022 to 1,355 cases in 2023, an increase of 406 cases or 42.8%.
• Information technology cases increased from 2,814 cases in 2022 to 3,725 cases in 2023, an increase of 911 cases or 32.4%.
• Misdemeanors related to bounced cheques increased from 2,362 cases in 2022 to 2,792 cases in 2023, a growth of 430 cases or 18.2%.
• Commercial misdemeanor cases rose from 9,829 cases in 2022 to 11,438 cases in 2023, an increase of 1,609 cases or 16.4%.
• The only decrease was observed in juvenile misdemeanor cases, which dropped from 3,875 cases in 2022 to 1,861 cases in 2023, a decrease of 2,014 cases or 52.0%.

2. Felony cases:

As for felony cases, the total number received increased from 10,959 cases in 2022 to 11,088 cases in 2023, marking an increase of 129 cases or a rate of 1.2%. This increase is attributed to banking crime cases rising from 3,680 cases in 2022 to 3,870 cases in 2023, an increase of 190 cases or 5.2%.

Murder and assault crimes:

The total number of cases decreased in 2023 compared to the previous year in the following categories of crimes:

1. Murder and self-assault crimes decreased from 907 cases in 2022 to 663 cases in 2023, a decrease of 244 cases or 26.9%.
2. Crimes of assaulting the property of others decreased from 1,823 cases in 2022 to 1,623 cases in 2023, a decrease of 200 cases or 11.0%.
3. Crimes of assaulting honor and reputation decreased from 363 cases in 2022 to 326 cases in 2023, a decrease of 37 cases or 10.2%.
4. Crimes of kidnapping, arrest, and detention decreased from 383 cases in 2022 to 353 cases in 2023, a decrease of 30 cases or 7.8%.
5. Drug and psychotropic substance crimes decreased from 2,716 cases in 2022 to 2,695 cases in 2023, a decrease of 21 cases or 0.8%.

3. Cases received by the Public Prosecution:

The Commercial Affairs Prosecution accounted for the largest number of cases received by the Public Prosecution, totaling 8,014 cases and representing 19.1% of the total. It was followed by the Farwaniya Prosecution with 6,286 cases (15.0%), and then the Capital Prosecution with 4,245 cases (10.1%).

Next in line was the Juveniles Prosecution, which received 4,112 cases (9.8%), followed by the Drugs and Alcohol Prosecution with 4,020 cases (9.6%).

The Media and Publishing Prosecution and the Jahra Prosecution followed closely with 3,726 cases (8.9%) and 3,701 cases (8.8%) respectively.

As for the Hawalli Prosecution, it received 3,425 cases, accounting for 8.2% of the total. Following that, the Ahmadi Prosecution received 2,807 cases. The Mubarak Al-Kabeer Prosecution followed with 1,201 cases, representing 2.9%. The Public Funds Prosecution received 211 cases, accounting for 0.5%.

Lastly, the Capital Market and State Security Prosecutions had 64 and 51 cases respectively, each representing 0.2% and 0.1% of the total.

Cases of misdemeanors, felonies processed

As for misdemeanor and felony cases handled, the total number of various types including misdemeanors, environmental offenses, information technology, drug addiction, and bounced cheques increased from 30,230 cases in 2022 to 35,048 cases in 2023, marking an increase of 4,818 cases or 15.9%.

Here is the breakdown of the cases handled:

1. Misdemeanor cases:

The total number of misdemeanor cases processed increased from 21,476 cases in 2022 to 25,172 cases in 2023, marking an increase of 3,696 cases or 17.2%. This rise was primarily due to increases in specific case types in 2023 compared to the previous year, as detailed below:

• Environmental cases rose from 3,498 cases in 2022 to 7,404 cases in 2023, an increase of 3,906 cases or 111.7%.
• Information technology cases increased from 2,231 cases in 2022 to 3,724 cases in 2023, a rise of 1,493 cases or 66.9%.
• Drug addiction cases increased from 825 cases in 2022 to 1,322 cases in 2023, a growth of 497 cases or 60.2%.
• Cheque misdemeanor cases increased from 2,157 cases in 2022 to 2,675 cases in 2023, an increase of 518 cases or 24.0%.

However, the number of cases processed decreased in juvenile misdemeanor cases from 4,046 cases in 2022 to 1,907 cases in 2023, a decrease of 2,139 cases or 52.9%. Similarly, commercial misdemeanor cases decreased from 8,719 cases in 2022 to 8,140 cases in 2023, a decrease of 579 cases or 6.6%.

2. Felony cases:

The total number of felony cases disposed of increased from 8,754 cases in 2022 to 9,876 cases in 2023, marking an increase of 1,122 cases or 12.8%. This increase was driven by specific case types in 2023 compared to the previous year, as detailed below:

• Bank crimes increased from 2,437 cases in 2022 to 2,961 cases in 2023, a rise of 524 cases or 21.5%.
• Drug and psychotropic substance crimes increased from 2,296 cases in 2022 to 2,749 cases in 2023, an increase of 453 cases or 19.7%.
• Crimes of assault on honor and reputation increased from 333 cases in 2022 to 380 cases in 2023, an increase of 47 cases or 14.1%.

While the number of cases decreased in a group of committed crimes such as murder, assault, kidnapping, and detention, the details are as follows:

• Murder and self-assault crimes decreased from 856 cases in 2022 to 734 cases in 2023, a drop of 122 cases or 14.3%.
• Kidnapping, arrest, and detention crimes decreased from 376 cases in 2022 to 349 cases in 2023, a decline of 27 cases or 7.2%.
• Crimes of assaulting others’ property decreased from 1,538 cases in 2022 to 1,433 cases in 2023, a decrease of 105 cases or 6.8%.

3. Cases disposed of by prosecution:

The Commercial Affairs Prosecution handled the largest number of cases disposed of by the Public Prosecution, totaling 9,125 cases or 26.0%. It was followed by the Juveniles Prosecution and the Drugs and Alcohol Prosecution with 4,131 and 4,042 cases, representing 11.8% and 11.5% respectively.

The Farwaniya Prosecution followed with 3,833 cases (10.9%), and the Information and Publishing Prosecution with 3,726 cases (10.6%). The Capital Prosecution handled 3,364 cases (9.6%), followed by the Jahra Prosecution with 2,499 cases (7.1%).

Hawalli and Al-Ahmadi Prosecution offices managed 1,628 and 1,513 cases, accounting for 4.6% and 4.3% respectively. The Mubarak Al-Kabeer Prosecution office handled 832 cases (2.4%).

Lastly, the Public Funds and Money Market Prosecutions managed 219 and 68 cases respectively, accounting for 0.6% and 0.2%. The State Security Prosecution dealt with 48 cases, representing 0.1%.

4. Statistical measures:

Regarding statistical measures received, the annual average of cases received by the Public Prosecution reached 26,531 cases during 2019-2023. Similarly, the annual average of cases disposed of by the Public Prosecution reached 23,984 cases during the same period.

Rate of cases per population

The statistical book indicates that the rate of cases received by the Public Prosecution per 100,000 people increased from 770 cases in 2022 to 868 cases in 2023, an increase of 98 cases.

The rate of cases disposed of by the Public Prosecution per 100,000 people also increased from 677 cases in 2022 to 727 cases in 2023, a difference of 50 cases.

Future expectations

The statistical book forecasts future case expectations, projecting an anticipated annual average of 44,581 incoming cases; range from a minimum of 33,146 cases to a maximum of 56,017 cases during 2024-2028, with 95% reliability.

Similarly, the expected annual average of disposed cases is 37,754, with a minimum of 25,857 cases and a maximum of 49,651 cases during the same period, also with 95% reliability.