MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Police have not been working sufficiently effectively in Russia, as demonstrated by the fact that almost half of the crimes committed remain unsolved said President Vladimir Putin.
"Almost 45% of crimes committed in this country remain unsolved. It is vivid evidence that police have not been working effectively," he told an annual conference of senior police officials in Moscow on Friday.
The crime rate went down 4.3% last year, "but in some regions the share of unsolved crimes has been growing, which arouses concern," he said.
Putin urged the Interior Ministry "to enhance the quality of police operatives' and investigators' work at all levels."
"More measures should be taken to maintain order in public places, where, according to statistics, one third of the crimes are committed. The rate of such crimes grew by more than 12% last year," the president said.