MOSCOW, January 22 (AVN) - The number of crimes decreased in over 30 percent of Russian regions in 2000, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry main inspection department said on Monday.
Russia's general crime rate decreased by 2.2 percent last year, the spokesman told the Military News Agency citing results of police activity analysis in Russian republics, territories, regions and districts.
The tendency towards decline in the number of crimes appeared for the first time in the past 10 years, the spokesman said. But it is still too early to speak about curbing the crime rate, as more than half of it is made by grave and extremely grave offenses.
The number of economic crimes also increased last year, the spokesman noted. Their rate grew 2.1 times in Moscow and 1.5 times in the Omsk region and remained very high in St. Petersburg, the Komi autonomous republic, Novgorod and Murmansk regions. The most criminal spheres are alcohol sale and production, the fuel and energy industry and non-ferrous metal turnover.
The Interior Ministry board will hold an enlarged session on Friday to sum up police activity results in Russia last year.