The Balqa police chief said Saturday that crime levels in the governorate was down from last year, and ascribed the drop to increased awareness of citizens and stepped up security patrols in the region.

No premeditated murders occurred this year in Balqa, west of Amman, while two such cases were recorded in the first half of 2016, according to Director of Police Col. Ammar Qudah.

Qudah said 171 drug possession offenses were recorded this year, down from 304 reported in the same period last year, adding that 50 fraud cases were recorded this year, compared to 51 in 2016, adding that all of these offenses had been uncovered.

The police chief said figures pointed to a reduction in crime that endangers individuals, with a drop in murders, break and steal crimes and fraud offenses, although crime levels are measured depending on population density and the presence of refugees and others in the region.

He also said 1,825 traffic accidents were recorded in Balqa this year in which 8 people died and 76 were injured, compared to 2,133 in the first half of 2016 in which 17 people were killed and 260 injured, a decrease that was a result of traffic surveillance, which, he said, positively reflected on human and material losses.

Source: Fana News