Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Nationwide drop in crime rate recorded
Police commissioner briefs cabinet on first half of 2007, reporting 8 percent decline in murder cases, 19 percent drop in theft; despite encouraging data, 2.2 percent rise in car theft recorded
The first half of 2007 experienced a general drop in icrime rate, including the number of road accidents, murder, violence and theft cases, a police report to the government revealed on Sunday.
Israel Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen, presented the date to cabinet members following Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision.
Cohen stated that over the past six months there has been an 8 percent drop in murder cases compared to the same time period in 2006. Since the start of the year, 68 people were been murdered, as opposed to 74 murder cases in the first half of last year.
An improvement in cases of physical violence cases was also recorded, as numbers dropped by 8.5 percent.
The most significant piece of information brought forward by the commissioner was an 18.9 percent drop in theft, with the first half of 2007 enduring 1,624 robbery cases compared to 2,003 in 2006.
A 3.5 percent drop was recorded in the number of criminal files opened against citizens and a 9.8 percent drop was recorded in property offences, with some 117,000 cases reported in 2007.
Despite the general drop in crime rate recorded, a 2.2 percent rise was felt in car theft cases. Over the past six months 16,497 vehicles were stolen, compared to 16,144 in the same time period last year.
A 17.5 leap was revealed in the number of people found in the possession of knives. In the first half of 2006, 3,466 suspects in possession of knives were detained, while 4,073 were apprehended in 2007.
Juvenile offenses saw a 14 percent drop in 2007, and the number of illegal residents in Israel took an astronomical leap of 358 percent. .
Israel Police showed satisfaction with these results, especially since police were forced to expand their activity over the past year in order to secure public events.
