BANTEAY MEANCHEY: Crime was up 7% in Banteay Meanchey Province in 2023, with authorities carrying out 78 arrests across 89 reported crimes.

The Banteay Meanchey Police met on December 28 to summarize the results of their safe village policies and to indicate the direction of the department for 2024.

Secretary of State for the Ministry of Interior Phan Chanthul said that the Royal Government considers peace, political stability and social order as the foundation for nation building and state reform. He said that the government expects the armed forces and all competent authorities to support these activities.

He said that the policy of safe villages, communes and districts is still an important tool for solving social crises that occur every day at the local level and for the daily lives of the people to create well-being for the general population.

According to the report of Banteay Meanchey Provincial Police, in addition to criminal offenses, such as gambling, gangs, human trafficking, sex trafficking, and drugs, economic crimes still occur in some localities.

The specialized police force has tried to search for targets and carried out 339 crackdown operations, including 45 gambling incidents and 267 drug related offences. Traffic accidents are down 2%, with the number of fatalities down 9%.