Crimes cost State NIS 15B in 2010

New Public Security Ministry report reviews financial toll criminal activity takes on State resources

Omri Efraim|Published: 06.12.11 , 14:01

A new report published Sunday by the Ministry of Public Security, revealed that in 2010, the financial toll crime took on the State amounted to NIS 15 billion (roughly $4.4 billion).

A review of the financial damage caused to the State by criminal acts and activity over the past decade came up with a staggering figure - NIS 158.1 billion, or $46.4 billion.

The financial toll, said the ministry, is calculated according to how much criminal acts cost the State, in ratio to its gross national product (GNP).

Despite these disconcerting figures, the ministry noted an overall improvement of 2.4% compared to the financial damage suffered by the State in 2009.

Danny Karibo, director of the planning, budget and monitoring department in the Ministry of Public Security told Ynet that "these figures are attributed to direct financial damage, i.e. the financial toll it took on civilians. When you add the State's effort to fight crime, you arrive at NIS 50 billion ($14.7 billion)."

Karibo added that the ministry's calculations also made allowances to include unreported crimes and the residual damage by reported crimes.

The report found that in 2010, violent crimes carried a financial toll on civilians amounting to NIS 2.9 billion a year ($850 million) – a 12% rise compared to 2009.

On average, murders are the most financially damaging to the State with NIS 2.2 million, sexual-based offenses are next with NIS 37,700, and low-class violent crimes cost the State an average of NIS 28,600 a case.

Property crimes cost authorities about NIS 9,500 a case, while the average fraud case costs about NIS 6,500. Still it is these crimes that are responsible for most of the over financial damage, as they make up over 50% of the overall financial damage suffered by the State every year.

"If it wasn’t for the constant efforts of the ministry and the police, thing would have been much worse," Karibo said. "We have been focusing on two major avenues: fighting organized crime and fights personal security-related offenses. These are long-term initiatives and they take time."

Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said that he views the scope of the financial damage most seriously, adding that it bolsters his belief that his ministry must increase its efforts to fight crime.

The Ministry of Public Security uses the data as part of its resource allocation plan. Decreasing the financial damage brought on by crime will assist the economy in creating the necessary infrastructure to support economic growth.