Crime rate continues to show strong decline

Photo: SCANPIX

The crime rate in Estonia continues to show a sharp decline which however can be partly attributed to Penal Code changes that stepped into effect at the beginning of the year.

In the first seven months of the year a total of 18,886 criminal offenses were registered, 3,636 fewer than the year before, which makes a year-on-year drop of 16 percent. At the same time the number of thefts and frauds fell even more sharply, by 30 percent and 35 percent, respectively. Registered thefts numbered 6,690 and frauds 832, respectively 2,888 and 444 fewer than during the same period last year.

The head of the analysis unit at the Justice Ministry, Jako Salla, has previously explained that the review of the Penal Code affected mainly the number of criminal offenses against property such as theft and fraud primarily because the criminal limit was raised from 64 to 200 euros.

Robberies numbered 214 in the five months, six less than a year earlier. The number of traffic offenses on the other hand soared 24 percent, from 1,876 to 2,320. This too was connected with the amendment of the Penal Code, Salla said.

There was little change in the number of cases of physical abuse, with 3,252 cases registered in January-July 2015 and 3,084 last year.

A marked drop has occurred in manslaughters and murders, of which 33 were registered in the first seven months of last year and 25 this year. The statistics include also attempted homicides.

Growth has been recorded in registered cases of serious damage to health (from 41 in 2014 to 61 this year), threats (from 363 to 427) and rapes (from 88 to 99).

A slight increase was observed also in drug-related crimes. Unlawful handling of large quantities of narcotics grew to 635 cases from 510 registered last year and handling of small quantities of drugs increased from 65 to 71.