Page 139 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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The number of criminal eases dealt with during the year, in the Bahrain courts and in the Agency
courts, was almost identical to the number of eases presented in the previous year.
There was one case of murder. An old negro divorced his wife, he then went to see her and on being
repulsed hit her with a piece of wood and then stabbed her with a knife, causing her death. He was
apprehended and prosecuted.

A Baluchi attempted to commit suicide by cutting his throat with a razor blade. After treatment
in hospital he recovered and being found to be insane he was repatriated to his home.

In a garden at Arad an Arab fired a shot at a gardener who attempted to catch him while he was
stealing melons.
A serious affray took place at one of Bahrain Petroleum Company’s gates between the company
watchmen and a crowd of Arabs. During the fight a man was killed. Two of the watchmen were charged
with manslaughter but acquitted.

A clerk in the Imperial Bank of Iran forged a customer’s signature and obtained Rs. 850 by cheating.
He was sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment.
There was a slight decrease in the number of thefts, 321 reports were received and 93 eases were
prosecuted in court, in 228 cases the perpetrators were not detected. Most of the cases were petty thefts
of goods worth only a few rupees. The most important eases included theft from a warehouse of cigarettes,
theft of a watch from a parcel by a Post Office official, and theft of a quantity of leather and piece goods
from a Gray & Mackenzie barge.
For a year or two bicycle stealing has been a common crime in Bahrain. Occasionally parts of stolen
bicycles have been found dumped in cemeteries and other places and for some time the police had reason
to believe that a gang of thieves were operating in this particular crime. In the middle of 1368 two boys
were caught stealing bicycles, information which was obtained from them led to the search of a house
and shop occupied by a local bicycle dealer. Quantities of parts of stolen bicycles were found and identified.
The dealer was convicted of buying stolen property and imprisoned. During the rest of the year no cases
of bicycle stealing were reported.
!
A large proportion of the men and boys who appear in the Bahrain courts on theft charges are old
hands with a string of previous convictions. Many boys of 12 or 13 years old have been convicted of
pickpocketing or snatching goods from shops three or four times. They usually work in gangs. The
courts find it difficult to deal with them ; caning appears to have no deterrent effect and it is not desirable
to imprison them with older convicts, the number of boys however who arc convicted in the courts hardly
warrants a reformatory.
Liquor cases continued to increase, the number of Arabs who regularly drink spirits becomes
greater every year in spite of the Government’s endeavours to prevent the use of liquor. Seventy persons
were prosecuted for selling, drinking or being in possession of liquor which in most cases consisted of
whisky, gin or occasionally beer. Liquor is imported into Bahrain and issued on permits to a restricted
number of non-Moslems. A high price can be obtained for it in the Black Market so people who can
afford to buy it have no difficulty in finding it. In the Bahrain courts the use of liquor is regarded as a
serious offence punishable by six months hard labour, without the option of a fine. The fact that Arabs
who are not subjects of Bahrain arc not liable for a similar punishment has produced an equivocal situation.
British Police.—For some months during the summer no British Police were in Bahrain.
S/Inspector Smith returned to England on completion of his period of agreement, Inspector Cochrane was
lent to H.B.M.’s Political Agent for service in Qatar and Inspector Hyde was on leave in England during
the summer. Four new British Police officers were recruited by the Adviser in the United Kingdom for
service in Bahrain but by the end of the year 1368 they had not yet arrived. The new Police officers
had previous service in the British Army and in the Palestine Police, one of them having also served in the
Arab Legion.