How and why do the Jordanian police still have recourse to customary tribal traditions to impose social order on the population despite the fact that the regime has, overall, reduced its reliance on, and patronage for, East Bank ‘tribal’ figures? Using the example of ‘blood crimes’ (offences in which an individual is injured or killed), this chapter explores how the state, through the police, insinuates itself into various traditional dispute management practices and adapts them to contemporary needs. The chapter evaluates the relative importance of the police, administrative governors and other societal figures, including tribal notables and local headmen (mukhātir), in dealing with cases including assault, fatal traffic accidents and murder. It also considers the various reasons why, on the whole, different components of the population comply with these practices, thereby buying into contemporary forms of ʿashāʾiriyya, whilst highlighting instances of resistance.