Morocco reports over 30% drop in crime in 2022

Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) reported a 30.22% drop in crimes recorded in 2022, noting that only 6.59% of these cases are violent crimes.

The DGSN’s efforts made it possible to identify and refer 875,879 individuals to the various prosecutor’s offices.

As to the rate of resolution of crimes committed, it continues to reach record levels for the sixth consecutive year, i.e. a rate of 94.43% of the total number of cases registered and 85.34 % of violent crimes.

According to the yearly report of the national security department, these records are the result of the development of criminal investigation mechanisms, the essential role of the forensic and technical police in the investigations, and the fruitful coordination between the services of the DGSN and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).

In addition, the increase in the number of complaints and denunciations lodged by citizens has considerably reduced the number of “shadow crimes”.
With regard to the analysis of crimes according to the form and modus operandi, intense security operations during the year 2022 increased by 8% for cases related to drugs and psychotropics, thanks to the intensification and the coordination of field interventions carried out jointly by the judicial police and the services of the DGST.

The department reiterated its mobilization against drug trafficking stressing that it has intensified security operations to tackle drug and psychotropic cases.

Joint field interventions carried out by police and the DGST enabled the processing of 92,713 cases, including the arrest of 120,725 individuals involved in drug-related cases.

The total number includes 241 foreign suspects.

In 2022, police seized 98,543 tons of cannabis, representing a drop of 49% compared to the previous year.

The police also seized 190.18 kilograms of cocaine, representing a decline of 87% in the quantity seized of this drug. In addition, police also seized 2.82 kilograms of heroin, representing a drop of 5% this year.

DGSN, however, reported worrying statistics about the psychotropic tablets sewed throughout the year. The psychotropic tablets seized, including ecstasy, captagon, among others recorded an increase of 85%.

The same upward trend was recorded in cyber-extortion crimes, with an increase of 5%, and a number of cases of 5,623, compared to 5,366 cases reported the previous year. 1,617 people were arrested and brought to justice for these cases.

With regard to sextortion cases, the national security services registered 417 cases during this year, a drop of 17% compared to the previous year. These cases led to the arrest of 237 people involved in this kind of crime against 428 victims, including 77 foreigners.

In its report, the DGSN also surveyed the efforts made in the struggle against illegal migration, stating that around 32,733 would-be irregular migrants were arrested, including 28,146 foreigners of different nationalities.

Police also dismantled 92 criminal networks and arrested 566 people involved in irregular migration and human trafficking networks.

In addition, police have identified and seized around 832 false travel documents to identity documents. Police also seized 193 boats, 156 boat engines, and 614 vehicles used in organizing irregular migration attempts.

With regard to financial and economic crimes, the National Security services have continued to strengthen and develop criminal investigation techniques in this type of crime, both at the level of the National Judicial Police Brigade (BNPJ) and at the level of its four regional judicial police brigades in Rabat, Casablanca, Fez and Marrakech.

These brigades handled 453 cases of corruption, influence peddling, fraud and squandering of public funds and blackmail, an increase of almost 17% compared to the past year, while 595 accused were investigated in connection with these cases, including 296 for bribery and influence peddling, 217 in cases of fraud and squandering of public funds and 82 for blackmail and abuse of power.

Regarding crimes of counterfeiting, fraudulent use of means of payment and currency trafficking, the National Security services handled during the current year 27 cases relating to currency trafficking (+17%), 53,449 cases relating to violations of the legislation governing checks, (+17%), 184 cases of fraud and fraud in means of payment and 208 others relating to the falsification of coins and currencies.

This type of case led to the seizure of 9,373 counterfeit banknotes with a total value of 1,814,370 DH and 17,701 counterfeit foreign banknotes (6,530,370 euros, 105,900 US dollars, 743,000 Belarusian rubles and 2,420 pounds sterling).

39 criminal networks, 28 of which are active in the counterfeiting and falsification of coins and currencies and 11 others involved in payment and credit card fraud, have been dismantled.

Regarding the fight against terrorism, extremism and the glorification of terrorist acts, the BNPJ referred 20 individuals to the competent public prosecutor’s office, thus recording a decline of 23% compared to the previous year, not counting the cells terrorists dismantled by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) under the DGST.