Page 359 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

75
consisted of occasional attempts to import goods into Bahrain evading payment of customs duty. This
type of smuggling ceased with the war; because the prices of most goods were controlled it was
irrelevant to the importer whether customs duties were paid or not, all such expenses were taken
into consideration when the price was laid down by the controller. Although innumerable con­
victions were obtained by the police in these cases it would be no exaggeration to assert that many
people in Bahrain, merchants, nakhudas, shopkeepers and private individuals made large fortunes
from illicit war time transactions. Owing to the price control in Bahrain and because in many cases
the Government subsidised the price of imported goods people who could successfully smuggle goods
out of Bahrain made enormous profits. Smugglers worked between Bahrain and Kuwait, Qatar,
Persia and Saudi Arabia and the biggest profits were made from smuggling motor tyres, tea, sugar
and piece-goods. Soon after the war smuggling decreased and by the end of 1365 there was very
little activity.

One of the problems which the authorities in Bahrain have to cope with is the existence of a
number of habitual criminals, mostly thieves, who appear in court at regular intervals. There are
men among them who have spent more than half their lives in jail and who are incessantly being con­
victed for comparatively petty offences. Many of these men have been jailed, beaten, sent away
from Bahrain, and provided with work but they invariably return to their old practices. In Saudi
Arabia they would be punished by the loss of hands, and finally by execution. The Bahrain jail
has no fear for them and during most of their lives they are clothed and fed by the State in its prisons.

During 1365 there were 411 cases of theft, compared to 310 in the previous year, of these cases
163 were sent to court and 245 were not detected. An increase in thieving corresponded with the
entry into Bahrain of an unusually large number of Hassawis and Bedouins from the mainland some
of whom were proved to be responsible for thefts. Investigations in several cases where large sums
of money were alleged to have been stolen revealed facts which led the police to doubt the truth of the
complaints.
One murder case and one attempted murder, followed by the suicide of the criminal, were
investigated by the Police. The murderer in the first case, an Omani, died before orders were given
for his execution and in the second case the culprit, who was an Iraqi, stabbed himself to death at
Idari pool after attempting to murder a prostitute.

The following cases were prosecuted by the police in the Bahrain and Agency Courts.

List of Police Prosecutions in the Bahrain Courts.
Number of Number ol Number of Number of
cases. persons persons persons
accused. convicted. acquitted.
Attempted theft ....................... 13 13 12 z
Theft............................................. 99 150 129 21
Robbery .................................. 1 3 3
Receiving stolen property .. 13 26 12 14
Use of criminal force and assault .. 59 94 60 34
Unnatural offence....................... 1 1 1
Criminal breach of trust 5 5 4 z
Public nuisance ....................... 3 24 24
Adultery .................................. 9 zo 8 2
Distilling liquor ....................... 4 5 5
Liquor drinking and possession of
liquor............................................ 7 8 8
Opium and hashish....................... 6 6 6
Gambling ............................ 8 33 3i 2
Accidents ............................ zz 13 Z2 z