Rabat – At the 54th place out of 158 countries, Morocco holds a “very comfortable” place in the international ranking of the most peaceful countries, issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), Interior Minister, Mohand Laenser said.
The minister, said Wednesday in Parliament that the security climate in Morocco for the ongoing year is marked by “stability and a growing feeling of security,” as the security services improve their vigilance to face the security issues and fight illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Laenser, who was presenting a report on the security situation, said the security services in charge of fighting international crimes have up to now dealt with 290,000 cases, a 12 pc increase from the same period of 2011.
The crime rate is of 19 crimes for 1000 people, against 17 for 1000 in 2011, said the minister, adding that 230,000 people have this year been presented to justice, including 10,000 minors.
In fighting illegal immigration, security services have foiled 15,000 illegal migration attemps and broken up 35 illegal immigration networks, Laenser said, noting a decrease in the number of illegal migrants reaching the European shores from Morocco.
The minister said Morocco adopts a hollistic approach in fighting terrorism, which takes accounts of the security, economic and social issues. This approach, he underlined, has spared Morocco any terrorist attacks.
He said Morocco has opted for the unity of the security system in order to improve border surveillance, and cut supply lines of arms and logistics to terrorist organisations.
Regarding dealing with demonstrations, the Interior minister said authorities have opted for dialogue to sort out the problems related to these demonstrations. He said up to 29 July, his department counted 12,000 protests, in which a total of 650,000 people took part, adding that the authorities make sure seurity is ensured while maintaining the right to demonstrate.
