Curfew imposed to fight the novel coronavirus has contributed in spreading calm in countries that have seen popular movements and calls for change such as Sudan and Algeria.
The pandemic also contributed to the noticeable decrease in crime rates in general.
The Sudanese police monitored a significant drop in crime rates during the lockdown period.
Police spokesman Omar Abdul Majid told Asharq Al-Awsat that security forces have not yet reached the “stage of forensic analysis in monitoring cases” but initial indications point to a significant decrease in crime levels.
“Major crimes, such as murders and robberies, have decreased dramatically,” he noted, adding that crime reports have remarkably receded.
He attributed the decline in crime rates to the partial curfew and to the heavy deployment of police forces throughout the cities and neighborhoods.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat’s monitoring, Sudanese police officers haven’t recorded crimes of domestic violence or electronic fraud during this period.
Meanwhile, Algerian security services =did not conduct precise statistics that allow comparison of crime rates between health crisis period and before it.
Yet, sources from the Directorate General for National Security affirmed that robberies and assaults against people in the streets have witnessed a noticeable decline.
Also, few cases of violence against women were recorded during the self-isolation period.
In this regard, Lawyer Tarek Marah told Asharq Al-Awsat that advocates, jurists and those who follow the judicial affairs in Algeria have noticed a remarkable decline in crime rates.
He attributed this to social distancing and the night curfew imposed, noting that most crimes are committed during this period of the day.
Marah also stated that national courts have recently seen few cases involving common law violation crimes.
It is noteworthy that police forces are heavily deployed throughout Algeria, preventing criminal plots from being carried out easily.
