INSTAT report: Crime decline in the first quarter 2017

The level of crime in the country has fallen in the first quarter, according to the Institute of Statistics, by 3.5 percent compared to the same period a year earlier.

Altogether there were about 7,500 criminal offenses with over 7,800 offenders. In the total of criminal offenses, most crimes are committed against property and in the economic sphere with 39.4%, crimes against the state authority by 35.8% and crimes against the person by 20.3%.

The latter have risen against the period January-March 2016, but within this group, comparing quarters, the number of killings ranged from 20 to 8.

Injuries are more or less at the same level, while sexual crimes have risen from 16 to 29. Meanwhile, three acts of terrorism have been identified with 3 offenders, while the first quarter of 2016 only registered a terrorist act.

214 criminal offenses were committed by armed gangs and criminal organizations from 277 in January-March 2016. Crimes against wealth and economic ones have decreased by 9.8%, criminals against state authority increased by 2.7%.

Crime statistics reflect data on identified criminal offenses and persons suspected of committing a crime, not in judgments that are the competence of the judiciary.

The data refers to articles of the Criminal Code and not to the event, as in an event can be found more than one criminal offense.