The Ministry of Justice statistics presented by Al-Sumait showed the overall number of assault-related cases registered with prosecutors declined sharply in the January-to-June period compared with the same months in 2025. Assault misdemeanors fell 63.6 percent from 376 to 137 while felony assaults causing severe physical pain dropped 62.5 percent from 16 to six. Cases involving threats of murder or harm decreased 43.4 percent from 99 to 56 and both suicide and attempted suicide referrals declined 44.3 percent from 61 to 34. Premeditated murder and attempted murder saw a smaller 7.7 percent reduction from 26 to 24.
Al-Sumait attributed much of the improvement to legislative amendments approved in 2025 and 2026 that closed loopholes and increased deterrence across several crime categories. The minister stated that Kuwait has continued to strengthen its penal system through those reforms. He added that the government would keep developing the framework to enhance public safety.
Among the changes was the repeal of provisions that had provided mitigating excuses for certain honor-related killings. Penalties for manslaughter and unintentional injury were tightened at the same time that carrying bladed weapons in public without legitimate justification became a criminal offense. Increased sanctions were introduced for anyone using such weapons to commit assault or intimidation.
A dedicated domestic violence protection law formed another pillar of the package while the amendments prohibited waivers of charges or reconciliation agreements in assaults involving children against parents or crimes targeting children and persons lacking legal capacity. The Ministry of Justice said these measures have already begun to influence patterns in reported offenses. Al-Sumait indicated the department would continue monitoring statistics to assess longer-term impacts.
The assault reductions follow an earlier announcement by the same minister that drug trafficking and psychotropic substance cases had fallen 44 percent in the first four months of 2026 after a stricter narcotics law entered into force. Domestic violence cases registered by the Public Prosecution also declined 33 percent during the initial three months of the family protection program according to separate ministry figures released in July. Such parallel trends appear across multiple areas of criminal justice where recent legislation has raised penalties and streamlined procedures.
The Ministry of Justice maintains a regular statistical analysis bulletin that tracks these developments and supports ongoing policy evaluation. Al-Sumait has repeatedly underscored the role of data-driven reforms in maintaining security and stability. Further updates on crime indicators are expected as the full-year figures become available later in 2026.
