Garmian police urge calm in summer, citing heat-crime link

GARMIAN — Police in the Garmian administration have urged residents to stay calm through the summer, saying they have observed more disputes and violent incidents during the hottest months and linking the pattern to heat, fatigue and short tempers.

Soran Mohammed Gharib, spokesperson for Garmian police, told 964media that officers see a recurring rise in criminal cases in the hottest part of the year. “Based on our experience, when summer and high temperatures arrive, problems and disputes increase, people become less patient and get angry more quickly,” he said, adding that investigators had found heat and exhaustion to be contributing factors in several cases.

“We have had several cases where, because of the heat and fatigue, people lost control of themselves and harmed one another over trivial matters,” Gharib said. He said many suspects later told investigators they regretted acting while affected by heat and fatigue and unable to think clearly. As an example, he described a group of farm laborers who fell into a violent confrontation over a minor disagreement and later said the heat had made them quicker to anger.

Research broadly supports a link between higher temperatures and violent crime, though the reason is debated. Studies over several decades have found assaults and domestic violence tend to rise with heat, but researchers disagree on whether hot weather makes people more aggressive or simply brings more people outdoors and into contact, creating more chances for conflict. Some recent studies have found the strongest effects come from unusually warm days rather than sustained summer heat, pointing to changes in activity rather than temperament.

In its advisory, Garmian police urged residents to avoid quick decisions while angry and to settle disputes through dialogue, saying following the law remained the best way to protect lives and community safety. The Garmian administration, part of Sulaymaniyah governorate, is one of the hottest areas in the Kurdistan Region.