Crime Rates in Yerevan Increase as Prosecutor's Office Releases New Data

In Yerevan, 14,961 criminal offenses were registered, up from 13,067 last year, marking an increase of 1,894 cases or 14.5%. This information was provided by the Republic of Armenia's Prosecutor General's Office, which added that Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan visited the Yerevan Prosecutor's Office to summarize the overall trends in crime throughout 2019 in the capital city.

According to these results, 17 murder cases were recorded in Yerevan in 2019, compared to 12 the previous year, with a disclosure rate of 86.4%, slightly improving from 85.7% in the prior year. The number of attempted murders decreased by 25% or 3 cases (from 12 to 9). There was a rise of 10 cases or 2.3% in intentional harm caused to health, while the disclosure rate for this type of crime also increased by nearly 5 percentage points, reaching 74.1%.

Robbery cases rose by 8 cases or 32% (from 25 to 33), but there was an improvement in the disclosure rate for this crime type as well, increasing from 74.4% to 87.5% in 2019.

The Prosecutor for Yerevan city expressed concern over the continuing rise in residential burglary cases and the low rates of disclosure. In 2019, 859 such cases were recorded, which is 58 more or 7.2% higher than in 2018.

Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan deemed both the results and the preventative efforts undertaken as unsatisfactory. He instructed to exert greater efforts in this direction through direct collaboration with city authorities, communities, and residents.

During the year, 703 cases were reported of causing harm to persons due to traffic rule violations, compared to 575 cases the previous year, indicating an increase of 128 cases or 22.3%. Meanwhile, the number of fatal traffic violations increased by 3 cases (from 67 to 70). The disclosure rate also rose, reaching 86.4% compared to 82.7% the previous year.

Throughout the specified period, investigations into 272 criminal cases involving corruption were underway. Among the registered corruption crimes in Yerevan, a considerable portion involved abuse of official power (150 cases) and bribery or intermediaries (74 cases).

Overall, in 2019, damages caused to the state by criminal activity amounted to 4,712,912,421 AMD, with 453,053,527 AMD being recovered. Most of the reimbursements stemmed from criminal cases related to technical inspection stations and those being investigated under the procedural supervision of the Yerevan Prosecutor's Office concerning violations in the accreditation management systems of traffic rule monitoring.

In summarizing the efforts of criminal prosecution bodies in combating crime in Yerevan, Prosecutor General Davtyan highlighted the extensive work carried out by these bodies and especially the new quality and manifestations of cooperation being formed in this regard. Nevertheless, he instructed to activate efforts aimed at preventing and solving the rise in crime observed in various areas.

In this regard, he particularly emphasized the need for a detailed analysis of the aiding conditions and causes of each criminal case and to strive for their elimination through relevant motions, ensuring participation in the discussions of these motions and facilitating the implementation of the actions outlined.

The Prosecutor General also drew attention to preparations for the fight against criminal subculture, noting that society should see the concrete results of law enforcement activities aimed at rooting out this evil using all lawful tools available to the state, as quickly as possible, and that the elements of crime should be isolated from society as soon as possible, provided there are sufficient grounds. Arthur Davtyan stressed that neutralizing the connections between law enforcement representatives and these elements should be a priority.