State Police in Latvia: 52,000 crimes per year, public trust at 48%
Last year Latvia recorded 52,024 criminal offences; 48% of residents trust the police — more than they trust the government or parliament.
State Police report: property crimes dominate, cyber threats growing
Last year Latvia recorded 52,024 criminal offences, of which 2,433 were classified as exceptionally serious, according to data compiled by lvportals.lv from the State Police (SP) annual report to the Saeima's Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Commission.
State Police chief, General Ints Ķuzis, told the commission on 14 February that the overall crime level in the country has continued to decline since 2009, although a small increase was recorded last year — 1.79 per cent.
Property crimes — nearly two-thirds of all offences
The largest share of crimes — 68.7 per cent — consists of offences against property. Last year their number exceeded 35,000, which is 2.5 per cent more than in 2010.
Economic difficulties have also left their mark on the structure of crime: last year several bank robberies were recorded. I. Ķuzis identified establishments where cash accumulates as the most frequently targeted locations — gaming halls, pawn shops and commission shops. However, organised gangs of robbers have not been identified in these cases. Gaming halls as targets are more often associated with people dependent on gambling, whilst pawn shops are threatened by those seeking to quickly obtain compact and expensive items.
Thefts in shops, homes and from vehicles remain widespread and equally prevalent. "I have always said that a car is not a safe and valuable items should not be left in it," the police chief reminded. Last year a special operation "Car is not a safe" was conducted, during which car owners were provided with informational materials. A booklet entitled "Make sure your home is safe from theft" was also developed.
Car thefts — decline, but risk remains
The number of car thefts fell last year, but this does not guarantee security. According to I. Ķuzis, stolen cars rarely end up for resale in Latvia's local market — mostly they are dismantled for spare parts or, through organised crime networks, transported to Lithuania, from where by rail they reach Russia, Kazakhstan and other countries. Lithuania has been identified as one of Europe's main centres for stolen vehicle trade.
Last year thieves were particularly interested in "Honda CR-V" vehicles. A peculiar phenomenon has also been the mass theft of car mirrors — mainly from "BMW" vehicles. After car owners were encouraged to mark their mirrors, the number of such thefts decreased.
Murders — alcohol and domestic conflicts
In 2011, a somewhat higher number of murders was recorded than the year before. I. Ķuzis emphasised a disturbing circumstance: 90 per cent of them were committed under the influence of alcohol, spontaneously resolving domestic conflicts. At the same time, the number of criminal offences against a person's health, sexual inviolability, family and minors, as well as against public order, has decreased.
Cyber crimes and the emigration factor
New challenges are posed by organised professional crime: cyber attacks on banks and security systems in other EU countries. I. Ķuzis pointed out that Europol has in this regard also drawn attention to Latvia, although citizens of Lithuania are more widely involved in such crimes.
Concerns are also raised by the emigration aspect. "We must reckon with the fact that as economic activity decreases in their current countries of residence, these people could return to Latvia and continue doing the same here," said I. Ķuzis regarding Latvian emigrants who abroad have been involved in criminal activities.
Deputy Jānis Ādamsons, in turn, expressed the opinion that part of the crime reduction could be explained not by the achievements of law enforcement agencies, but by the mass departure of residents — including lawbreakers — from the country.
Reforms and public trust
The past year was marked for the SP by structural changes, largely influenced by tragic events in January in Jēkabpils. In the first half of the year, a review of the service structure took place; in March, the office of the SP chief and the Press and Public Relations Bureau were abolished, being replaced by a public relations department.
In the field of traffic safety, controls over drink driving, seat belt and child car seat use were intensified. Informational campaigns were also conducted: "Be visible!", "See bicycles!?" and "Don't drive while intoxicated!".
Public opinion surveys show that 48 per cent of Latvia's residents trust the police — more than they trust the State President, trade unions, the government or parliament. At the same rank of trust alongside the police stand the church and the courts.
Source: Google News LV — Crime (lv)