Thursday, October 3, 2019

Crimes of All Kinds including Corruption Up in Russia for First time in Decade, Prosecutors Say


Paul Goble

            Staunton, September 30 – For the first time in a decade, Russian prosecutors say, crime has risen in Russia by two percent during the first eight months of 2019 compared to the same period a year earlier, with the authorities having registered “more than 1.3 million” violations of the law -- or just under one for each 100 residents of the country.

            The increase occurred in all parts of the country except for the Far Eastern Federal District and involved almost all categories of crimes, according to the office of the Procuracy General (capost.media/news/pravonarusheniya/v-rossii-rastet-prestupnost/ and politsovet.ru/64131-v-rossii-rezko-vyros-uroven-korrupcii.html).

            Of particular concern is serious crimes as a share of all crimes increased by 24.5 percent, with those for which conviction carries a sentence of ten years in prison increasing by 16.7 percent.  At the same time, “more than a third of all crimes” involved theft of personal property – and the total number of such actions increased by three percent.

            Prosecutors called attention to the fact that the number of violations of the anti-corruption law had increased by 3.6 percent, with the number arrested for giving bribes having gone up by 35.4 percent to 605.  There was also a jump in the number of computer crimes from last year to this, with 180,153 being registered in the first eight months of 2018.

            Crime statistics are notoriously difficult to assess because they reflect at least three factors: the actual number of crimes committed, the number reported to or identified by the police, and the interests of the authorities in putting out general or specific numbers to send a message about their effectiveness or the need for harsher police powers.

            But the overall figures in this case pointing to a rise almost certainly reflect an underlying trend even if the specific portions may not. 

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