Despite the wave of killings over the weekend, the murder rate dropped
significantly this year, according to police figures made available to The
Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
Police recorded 50 homicides between January
and May 2011, compared to 37 murders thus far in 2012.
But the number of
knife possession incidents has risen in several police districts.
In the
Tel Aviv police district, for example, there was a 50 percent increase in knife
possession cases opened in 2011.
Police said the rise was due to an
increase of body searches.
Figures for 2012 were not immediately
available.
Law enforcement and government remain concerned about the
affect of alcohol on youths, and have already banned drinking in public, as well
as the selling of alcoholic beverages after 11 p.m.
But the measures
appear to have done little to stop teenage binge drinking.
In 2011, 7% of
all criminal offenses were carried out by youths, representing a 12% drop
compared to 2010.