The state of crime in the Russian Federation for October 2009

A brief analysis of the state of crime

1. In January – October 2009, internal affairs bodies examined 18.98 million statements, reports, and other information about incidents, which is 6.6% more than in the ten months of 2008. For almost every ninth report (10.9%), a decision was made to initiate a criminal case. In total, 2,073.1 thousand criminal cases were initiated, which is 7.0% less than the figure for the same period last year.

2. In January – October 2009, 2,563.0 thousand crimes were registered, or 6.1% less than in the same period last year. An increase in registered crimes was noted in 17 subjects of the Russian Federation, and a decrease in 66 subjects.

3. 93.2% of all registered crimes are detected by internal affairs bodies, of which 4.2% are at the stage of preparation and attempted commission. In total, 101.4 thousand crimes were detected at these stages.

4. Almost half (42.6%) of crimes are registered in republican, krai, and regional centres—a total of 1.09 million; a fifth (19.8%)—in rural areas, where 507.7 thousand crimes were registered, which is 4.3% less than in January – October 2008.

5. As a result of criminal encroachments, 38.0 thousand people died (-11.1%), and 45.8 thousand people suffered grievous bodily harm (-50.7%). Rural areas account for 41.3% of the deceased (15.7 thousand people), and cities and settlements that are not centres of federal subjects account for 37.0% of persons who suffered grievous bodily harm (17.0 thousand people).

6. Damage from crimes (for completed and suspended criminal cases) amounted to 1,094.1 billion roubles, which is 542.6% more than the similar figure from last year. At the same time, almost the entire amount of damage (93.8%) falls on crimes registered in the centres of the subjects of the Russian Federation.

7. The proportion of grave and especially grave crimes among the registered number increased from 26.7% in January – October 2008 to 27.0%.

8. Almost half of all registered crimes (46.7%) are thefts of someone else's property, committed by way of: larceny—997.6 thousand (-11.2%), robbery—173.0 thousand (-14.1%), mugging—25.1 thousand (-12.6%). Almost every third theft (32.1%), every twenty-third robbery (4.3%), and every twelfth mugging (8.3%) were associated with illegal entry into a dwelling, premises, or other storage facility.
Every twentieth (5.0%) registered crime is a burglary. In January – October 2009, their number decreased by 11.6% compared to the same period last year.

9. The number of detected crimes related to the illicit trafficking of weapons, compared to January – October 2008, increased by 8.6% and amounted to 29.8 thousand, while the number of detected facts of theft and extortion of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and explosive devices increased by 10.5% (1.5 thousand facts).
In January – October 2009, 7.3 thousand crimes (-12.7%) were committed using weapons. The largest number of registered crimes of this category is noted in the regions: Irkutsk Oblast (462), St. Petersburg (461), Republic of Dagestan (423), Republic of Ingushetia (330), Sverdlovsk Oblast (291).

10. In January – October 2009, 40.99 thousand environmental crimes were registered, which is 6.4% more than in the same period last year.

11. Compared to January – October 2008, the number of economic-related crimes detected by law enforcement agencies decreased by 2.3%. A total of 395.6 thousand crimes of this category were detected; the proportion of these crimes in the total number of registered crimes was 15.4%.
Material damage from the specified crimes (for completed criminal cases) amounted to 1,037.5 billion roubles.
Grave and especially grave crimes in the total number of detected economic-related crimes accounted for 41.1%.
Units of internal affairs bodies detected 380.6 thousand economic-related crimes; their proportion in the total volume of economic-related crimes was 96.2%.

12. In January – October 2009, 205.8 thousand crimes related to illicit drug trafficking were detected, which is 3.6% more than in the same period last year. At the same time, drug control agency employees detected 78.4 thousand crimes (-2.4%), and internal affairs agency employees detected 125.1 thousand crimes (+7.3%). Compared to January – October 2008, the number of crimes committed for the purpose of selling narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their analogues increased by 3.0%, and their proportion among crimes related to illicit drug trafficking decreased from 52.5% in January – October 2008 to 52.2%.

13. In January – October 2009, 566 terrorist-related crimes (+0.7%) and 446 extremist-related crimes (+12.9%) were registered.

14. 505.1 thousand crimes (-3.7%) were registered in public places.

On streets, squares, in parks, and gardens, 303.3 thousand (-4.8%) crimes were registered, including: 73.4 thousand (-17.0%) robberies, 101.7 thousand (+5.2%) thefts, 7.8 thousand (-20.0%) muggings.
On roads and highways outside settlements, 228 muggings (-11.6%) and 527 robberies (+4.6%) were committed; 117 facts of illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transport, or carrying of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and explosive devices (-41.5%) were detected.

15. In January – October 2009, 1,416.3 thousand crimes (-3.5%) were solved, including 721.6 thousand—for which the investigation is mandatory (-4.9%) and 694.8 thousand—for which the investigation is not mandatory (-2.0%).
Internal affairs agency employees preliminarily investigated 1,169.0 thousand crimes (-4.9%), which constitutes 82.5% of the entire volume of preliminarily investigated crimes; employees of the investigative bodies of the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation investigated 122.6 thousand crimes (-7.2%), which constitutes 8.7% of the entire volume; drug control agency employees investigated 56.9 thousand (-2.1%), and bailiffs investigated 37.6 thousand (+49.8%).

16. 1,059.5 thousand crimes remained unsolved, which is 12.4% less than the similar figure for January – October 2008. Of this number, 26.1% falls on grave and especially grave crimes (in January – October 2008—25.5%). 1.5 thousand murders and attempted murders remained unsolved (-15.9%), 5.8 thousand intentional inflictions of grievous bodily harm (-13.5%), 608.9 thousand thefts (-14.5%), 103.2 thousand robberies (-18.8%), 9.3 thousand muggings (-20.7%).
1,028.9 thousand crimes (-12.6%) remained unsolved due to the failure to establish the person subject to prosecution as an accused.

17. 55.4 thousand crimes of previous years were solved in January – October 2009, which is 22.2% less than in the same period last year.
Almost half (47.4%) of solved crimes of previous years are thefts (26.2 thousand), and one-twelfth (8.4%) are fraud cases (4.7 thousand).

18. 1,036.8 thousand persons who committed crimes were identified (-2.8%); the proportion of persons without a permanent source of income increased from 60.5% in January – October 2008 to 64.2%, while the proportion of previously convicted persons decreased from 23.7% to 23.6%.

19. Almost every third (31.7%) investigation-completed crime was committed by persons who had previously committed crimes, almost every eighth (12.7%)—in a state of alcoholic intoxication, every eighteenth (5.5%)—by minors or with their complicity.
Organised groups or criminal communities committed 27.3 thousand grave and especially grave crimes (-17.3%), and their proportion in the total number of investigated crimes of these categories decreased from 8.4% in January – October 2008 to 7.3%.

20. Foreign citizens and stateless persons committed 50.8 thousand crimes on the territory of the Russian Federation, which is 10.1% more than in January – October 2008, including 46.7 thousand crimes (+11.8%) by citizens of CIS member states, whose proportion was 91.8%.
The number of crimes against foreign citizens and stateless persons decreased by 0.4% and amounted to 12.9 thousand crimes.