2 days ago
Civil Defence handles nearly 6,000 incidents in just five months this year
More than 5,900 fires, road accidents, leaks and rescues were handled by Bahrain's Civil Defence between January and mid-May, according to newly released figures.
The reports totalled 5,957. Of these, 879 were fire-related, 245 were calls for help, 145 involved leaks, and 53 were traffic crashes.
In April alone, the service dealt with 1,375 incidents, including 210 fires and 695 requests for assistance.
Accidents
There were also 121 accidents on the roads and 17 cases involving fallen trees, poles or signage. Ambulance crews fielded 5,226 calls that same month.
The majority involved people who were unwell, with 3,841 such reports, while 409 calls came after traffic crashes.
Patient transfers
A further 503 involved patient transfers between private hospitals and emergency departments.
There were also 35 fire-linked calls and 438 for other matters. Meanwhile, 2,565 drug cases were recorded over a 15-month period by the Anti-Narcotics Directorate.
In 2024 alone, 1,849 cases were logged. Most of these, 1,371, were inside Bahrain.
The rest were picked up at the King Fahad Causeway with 201 cases, the airport with 276, and one case at sea.
Inland
In the first three months of this year, a further 626 drug cases were recorded. Again, most took place inland.
The drugs hotline received 1,237 reports last year. In the first quarter of 2025, there were 283. Cross-border police operations with neighbouring countries and allies included 132 joint efforts last year, mainly with GCC states and the US.
In the first third of this year, 88 more were carried out involving Australia, Pakistan, Jordan and the US Consulate General.
Enforcement
A series of talks and campaigns ran alongside enforcement.
There were 300 lectures in 2024, said to have reached about 16,000 people.
Another 25 lectures were held in the first months of 2025, along with eight exhibitions.
Six campaigns were held last year, reaching 1,855 participants.
Rehabilitation scheme
The 'Taafi' rehabilitation scheme reported 100 former addicts finishing the programme last year.
Fifty-one others did so in the first quarter of 2025.
Partners helped launch 122 projects linked to anti-drug work.
April data from the Interior Ministry also shows police patrols responded to 2,701 cases.
Around 30 per cent were traffic-related, 6 per cent involved law breaches, and 64 per cent were general response calls.
The Economic Crimes Directorate handled 9,184 cases in 2024 and a further 972 by April this year.
The Cybercrime Directorate recorded 1,633 reports in 2024 and 657 so far this year.
The Anti-Corruption and Economic Security Directorate dealt with 126 cases in 2024 and 50 in the first four months of 2025.
Asian suspects
A large share of online scams and credit card fraud is still traced to Asian suspects, particularly from East Asia.
Certain African groups remain linked to forged currency and black-market trading.
Coast Guard records show 81 cases in April, 34 of them tied to search and rescue or stranded vessels.
Six marine accidents were recorded. Forty-one sea-based assists were provided.
