Are court cases really declining in Qatar?

Despite Qatar’s galloping population rate, the number of cases coming up before courts is fast declining. 

The latest data released by the Supreme Judicial Council show that cases, including those reaching criminal courts, have declined significantly.

The population grew by 33 percent between 2009 and 2013, however, cases before courts dropped by nearly 6 percent during the period. 

For instance, cases in the courts in 2009 totalled 85,911. The data shows total cases in the courts in 2013 dropped to 81,169, despite a huge increase in the population rate.

The total number of cases that reached the courts in 2011 was 86,980 and dropped to 81,452 in 2012 and to 81,169 in 2013. Between 2011 and 2013, the population rate grew by 25 percent.

Except civil suits and cases related to administrative disputes, cases across various segments came down in 2013. The number of civil cases increased to 16,780 from 15,394 in the previous year.

The total number of registered civil suits, which also cover labour disputes, was 24,119 in 2011. The number marginally dropped to 24,100 in 2012 before edging up to 26,167 in 2013. 

Family cases related to inheritance and children have been growing over the past few years. The number rose from 5,251 in 2011 to 5,351 in 2012, but dropped slightly to 5,345 in 2013.

However, a section of legal experts were of the view that the data does not reflect reality. 

They attributed the steady decline in the number of cases to the government’s decision to restrict visas to certain countries.

What do you think? Does this data reflect a drop in crime rates in Qatar?

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