Humanitarian agencies say crime up in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 March 2004, 16:38 GMT]
The Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies of Jaffna said Tuesday that murder, robbery, petty crime and the sale of illegal liquor have increased in the northern peninsula. A spokesman for the consortium citing Jaffna crime statistics for 2003, told the press Tuesday that steps should be taken to arrest "the creeping break down of law and order."

He gave the following statistics about the law and order situation in Jaffna during 2003:

Murders and robberies – 191
Cases involving the sale of illegal liquor – 808
Petty crimes – 323
Road accidents – 1164
Divorce – 62
Land disputes – 16


He said these statistics were gathered by the consortium.