Page 136 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT
(From the report of Mr. Salim A1 Arayyad, Superintendent, Judicial Department).
The Senior Court dealt with 722 eases during the year, of these 195 eases were civil suits, 192 were
land eases and 335 were criminal eases. The number of criminal eases heard in the Bahrain Courts is
extremely small and very few of them arc of importance. The people of Bahrain, on the whole, arc quiet
and law abiding, it is evident, from the records of recent years, that far the larger proportion of crimes
which arc committed in Bahrain arc committed by foreigners. Most of the offences which were dealt
with in the court were petty theft, accidents and infringements of the liquor laws. The practice of the
courts in the ease of traffic accidents involving damage to people or property is for the police to charge the
person who is responsible with driving dangerously, etc. If the charge is proved the driver is punished
by the court by a fine or imprisonment. The injured party, or the owner of damaged property, is then
at liberty to make a claim for damages in the civil court. The court which deals with the offence docs not
deal with the question of damages. The two senior courts finally disposed of 599 cases of all types leaving
125 eases pending at the end of the year.
Fines collected amounted to Rs. 5,301, court fees amounted to Rs. 21,500 which was about Rs. 5,000
less than the sum recovered in the previous year.
In the Small Courts 1,415 cases were filed and 418 applications were made for execution of decrees,
the courts disposed of 1,118 cases and had 297 eases pending at the end of the year.
The Sunni Shara Court disposed of 168 eases out of 18S, the Shia Shara Court dealt with 106 cases
out of 117 and the Majlis Tajara heard 29 eases out of 35.
The Senior Appeal Court heard 17 cases during the year, 9 cases were pending at the end of the year ;
the Junior Appeal Court heard 22 out of 31 cases, 7 appeals were referred to the Shia Appeal Judge all of
which were disposed of.
There were no cases of any particular interest.

POLICE AND PUBLIC SECURITY
STATE POLICE

Strength.—The strength of the State Police at the end of 1368 was as follows:—
Officers ......................... 8
N.C.O.’s and men .. 279
Clerks, followers, boat crews, etc. 41
Armed Nature 223
During the year 19 men were granted their discharge, 16 recruits were enlisted, 2 men were dismissed
and 2 men deserted while on leave in Saudi Arabia. The sanctioned strength of the force is 350 officers,
N.C.O.’s and men but for several years the police have been under strength owing to the difficulty in
obtaining suitable recruits. The strength of the Nature was increased by 16 men, many of them are
now foreigners from other Arab States in the Gulf, in the ease of Nature, as well as Police, it is difficult
to enlist local men owing to the keen competition for labourers both in Bahrain and abroad. A qualified
armourer, with army experience, was enlisted from India.
Duties.—Regular duties and outposts absorbed so large a proportion of the police that it was
difficult to muster sufficient men to carry out training. Throughout the year 149 men, considerably
more than half the total strength, were employed in maintaining permanent guards, police station estab­
lishments, patrols and traffic duties; 68 nature were on duty in posts in the towns and in the country.
During 1368 musketry course.*, were fired by 272 men of the State Police and police teams competed with
the Royal Navy and the United States Navy in shooting competitions. The police won by 115 points

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