Crime in Oman
Encyclopedia
Crime rate in Oman is low compared to industrialized countries. Incidents of serious crime
are rare in the country. Incidents of petty crime including burglary
and theft
of property of foreign tourists are occasionally reported. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(FCO) describes the law and order situation in Oman
as "generally good". Incidence of street crime is low. Violent crime
occurs, but is extremely low compared to the United States
.
Oman is a destination point for men and women mainly from South Asian nations like Bangladesh
, India
, Sri Lanka
and Pakistan
who migrate willingly, but some of whom become victims of trafficking
when subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as domestic worker
s and laborers. Mistreatment includes non-payment of wages, restrictions on movement and withholding of passports, threats, and physical or sexual abuse. Oman is also a destination point for women trafficked from Asia
, Eastern Europe
and North Africa
for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(DFAT) of the Government of Australia
and the FCO reported there are incidents where individuals presenting themselves as employees of the Ministry of Health have called private houses offering vaccination
s against avian influenza (commonly known as Bird flu). But the Ministry of Health does not provide any service like this. Drugs are given to people as "vaccines" to make them unconscious and then they are robbed.
Threat of terrorist attack
is a matter of concern. The DFAT advised travelers "to exercise a high degree of caution in Oman because of the high threat of terrorist attack". The United States Department of State
expressed concern over possibility of terrorist attacks against citizens of the United States. According to the FCO, "there is an underlying threat from terrorism in Oman. Attacks, although unlikely, could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers".
Drug trafficking in general is low. However the amount of seized heroin in 1995 was 6.2 kg which was an increase compared to 1 kg in 1994. Oman has established an Inter ministerial committee for the purpose of overseeing drug framework matters. The country has a well organized Drug Control Unit to deal with drug trafficking. Oman is a party of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances
(1971).
According to Interpol
data, criminal homicide
rate in Oman decreased from 0.94 to 0.91 per 100,000 population between 1995 and 2000. It was a decrease of 3.2%. The rate of rape
also decreased by 16.4%. But rate of robbery increased by 108.1%. While the rate of robbery was 1.24 per 100,000 population in 1995, it increased to 2.58 per 100,000 population in 2000. Similarly the rate of aggravated assault, burglary, larceny
and motor vehicle theft
increased by 10.7%, 57.7%, 317.8% and 112.2% respectively.
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
are rare in the country. Incidents of petty crime including burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
and theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
of property of foreign tourists are occasionally reported. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
(FCO) describes the law and order situation in Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
as "generally good". Incidence of street crime is low. Violent crime
Violent crime
A violent crime or crime of violence is a crime in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, as well as crimes in which violence is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent...
occurs, but is extremely low compared to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Oman is a destination point for men and women mainly from South Asian nations like Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
who migrate willingly, but some of whom become victims of trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
when subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as domestic worker
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
s and laborers. Mistreatment includes non-payment of wages, restrictions on movement and withholding of passports, threats, and physical or sexual abuse. Oman is also a destination point for women trafficked from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a department of the government of Australia charged with advancing the interests of Australia and its citizens internationally...
(DFAT) of the Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
and the FCO reported there are incidents where individuals presenting themselves as employees of the Ministry of Health have called private houses offering vaccination
Vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...
s against avian influenza (commonly known as Bird flu). But the Ministry of Health does not provide any service like this. Drugs are given to people as "vaccines" to make them unconscious and then they are robbed.
Threat of terrorist attack
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
is a matter of concern. The DFAT advised travelers "to exercise a high degree of caution in Oman because of the high threat of terrorist attack". The United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
expressed concern over possibility of terrorist attacks against citizens of the United States. According to the FCO, "there is an underlying threat from terrorism in Oman. Attacks, although unlikely, could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers".
Drug trafficking in general is low. However the amount of seized heroin in 1995 was 6.2 kg which was an increase compared to 1 kg in 1994. Oman has established an Inter ministerial committee for the purpose of overseeing drug framework matters. The country has a well organized Drug Control Unit to deal with drug trafficking. Oman is a party of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances
Convention on Psychotropic Substances
The Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 is a United Nations treaty designed to control psychoactive drugs such as amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and psychedelics signed at Vienna on February 21, 1971...
(1971).
According to Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
data, criminal homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
rate in Oman decreased from 0.94 to 0.91 per 100,000 population between 1995 and 2000. It was a decrease of 3.2%. The rate of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
also decreased by 16.4%. But rate of robbery increased by 108.1%. While the rate of robbery was 1.24 per 100,000 population in 1995, it increased to 2.58 per 100,000 population in 2000. Similarly the rate of aggravated assault, burglary, larceny
Larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
and motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
increased by 10.7%, 57.7%, 317.8% and 112.2% respectively.