Events

MINSK, 23 November (BelTA) – Belarusian Interior Minister Igor Shunevich informed Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko about the falling crime rate in the country on 23 November, BelTA has learned.

During the meeting the head of state noted that police are responsible for many matters but he was primarily interested in the public security situation. “I am primarily interested in your analytical work and the relevant trends in the sphere of public security. What concerns you?” asked Alexander Lukashenko. “I would like to understand what I should pay attention to.”

According to the Belarusian interior minister, the situation inspires slight optimism because the number of crimes and the number of reports about committed crimes have been falling for years now. “Our people have fewer reasons to contact the police these days for the sake of assistance and protection of their rights and legal interests. It is certainly the result of the complex of actions taken by the government,” stressed Igor Shunevich.

According to the Interior Ministry, the crime control situation is stable, with positive trends in the structure and dynamics of crimes prevailing.

In January-October 2017 Belarusian police received over 184,000 reports about crimes, 11.3% down from January-October 2016.

The overall number of acts punishable under criminal law dropped as well as the number of registered grave crimes such as murders and attempts to murder, grievous bodily injuries, and rapes. Fewer offenses against property were registered such as robberies, thefts, frauds, and vehicle hijacking.

The number of crimes related to illegal drugs dropped by nearly 17% to some 4,300. The interior minister attributed the decline to police efforts meant to suppress sales and shipments of narcotic substances.

The detection rate of corruption crimes and economic crimes remains the same. The relevant completed investigations estimated the financial and physical damage at Br58.7 million, with Br32.7 million repaid. Br36.2 million worth of property was arrested. The efforts resulted in the damage recovery rate of 117%.

Prevention measures helped reduce the number of crimes committed by underage Belarusians, crimes involving underage Belarusians, and crimes in public places by over 12%.

As of 1 November nearly 21,400 surveillance cameras were in operation in public places and various facilities. They helped solve over 1,400 crimes.

Thanks to measures taken by Belarusian police the number of road accidents caused by drunk drivers dropped by virtually one quarter.