DUSHANBE, July 7, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Over the first six months of this year, 6,453 crimes have been reported in Tajikistan, which is 35З crimes or 5.2 percent fewer than in the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Interior (MoI).

Compared to the first half-year of 2009, cases of fraud have reduced by 391, cases of hooliganism have reduced by 88 and cases of economic crimes have reduced by 72, the source at a MoI said.

In January-June this year, 1,279 serious crimes have been reported (a 3.6 percent reduction compared to the same period last year); however, their ratio in the overall number of the registered crimes has increased from 19.5 percent in January-June 2009 to 19.8 percent.

In the meantime, the number of reported killings and killing attempts has increased from 57 to 70, the number of reported cases of robbery has increased from 22 to 29, and the number of reported rape cases has increased from 27 to 30.

The number of thefts has increased from 1,961 to 2,132 cases.  

Over the report period, 669 cases of the group crimes have been registered in the country (a 27.4 percent increase compared to January-June 2009)

The recurrent crime cases have decreased by 4.6 percent compared to the first half-year of 2009 – from 611 cases to 583 cases.  

The number of crimes committed by minors has decreased only by three cases – from 360 to 350.

The number of reported cases involving illegally bearing, possessing, and acquiring weapons has increased from 26 to 29.  In the meantime, the number of reported crimes involving the use of firearms has fallen some 25 percent: 17 such crimes have been registered in the country over the report period. 

Compared to January-June 2009, there was a 16.3 percent increase in the number of reported crimes involving acquisition, storage, transportation, and use of drugs: 413 such crimes have been reported in Tajikistan over the first six months of this year.  Over the report period, police have seized 1,300 kilograms of narcotics.  A totaled included 384 kilograms of heroin, 228.6 kilograms of raw opium and 723 kilograms of cannabis.    

Meanwhile, independent experts say the real crime situation in the country is much worse than the official data shows.  Tajik expert Abdullo Qurbonov says there is also so-called latent crime, which is not officially registered.   “It is considered that the ratio between reported and unreported crimes is 1:4,” said Qurbonov said, “This may be explained by two reasons: firstly, almost half of crime victims do not apply to police or prosecutor’s offices because they do not believe that the crime will be solved; and secondly, many police departments do not register all crimes.”