Attacks on insurance firms no longer an issue after police protection deal — federation

AMMAN — The Jordan Insurance Federation (JIF) on Thursday said attacks on insurance establishments and personnel have dropped to zero after signing an agreement with police almost three years ago.

“Attacks by gangs against insurance entities stopped completely in the past two-and-a-half years, thanks to our annual agreement with the Public Security Department (PSD),” JIF President Maher Hussein told The Jordan Times.

In August 2012, JIF signed an agreement with the PSD to station two of its personnel and two members of the preventive security department outside every insurance firm to provide their employees with security in case they are attacked by gangs allegedly seeking fraudulent claims to force the companies to pay them money.

Police officers patrol areas where insurance firms are located, under the agreement.

“Many entities were attacked by these gangs if they refused to pay such claims and some of the companies’ directors and their families received death threats,” Hussein explained.

But since the agreement, which entails payment to the PSD in exchange for security, “the establishments stopped witnessing such attacks,” he said.

In August 2012, the insurance sector went on strike to pressure the government to take action against “gangs” that were threatening insurance companies and employees. 

“The fact that police officers are visible in front of insurance firms stopped such individuals from attacking these establishments because if they engage with police officers then they will face long prison sentences,” Hussein said. 

The gangs in question, JIF officials told The Jordan Times in the past, stage car accidents in order to collect fraudulent insurance claims, then attack the firms and their employees to intimidate them into paying these claims.

The frequent attacks forced several auto insurers out of business in recent years, according to JIF officials.