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Explanation of statistics of crimes solved

As some news agencies have published different interpretations of the statistics of performance of the Investigative Committee which I announced on air to Vesti FM, I have to explain the following. The author of the publication, who for some reason decided that the statistics of the Investigative Committee “was very different from that of the Russian Ministry of the Interior”, is apparently trying to reach some personal goals.

Let me start with the fact that all official criminal statistics is accumulated in state statistical reports made in record offices of authorities of the interior. This is where we get all the data from and these were the data I referred to in my speech on the radio. I named numbers which had to deal only with the activity of the Investigative Committee. The 54% of the general number of crimes solved meant all felonies. I think that everybody understands that. As for the percentage of crimes solved in different kinds of crimes, statistics of which I also named, it is impartial and unquestionable.

This way, for example, last year 91% of murders were solved. This number is calculated from the number of crimes solved. This formula is prescribed by the interagency order on the single crime record system. But the author with their amateur attitude gives something different statistics calculated from the number of registered crimes, which is absolutely wrong. This approach absolutely ignores the fact that after the crime has been registered, there is investigation, which might as well find that there was no crime at all. Such cases are dismissed and can’t be counted in the statistics as unsolved ones.

Apparently, this is the case when the author is trying to find a black cat in the darkest room, where of course there is no cat and there can’t be. This proves once again that the aim of such mass media is not provision of impartial information, but crude attempts to discredit law enforcement authorities using any means to an end.

Head of Media Relations                                                                                                                                V.I. Markin