Why Have Crimes Increased: 'Jamanak'

‘Jamanak’ newspaper reports: ‘Crimes involving the overt use of firearms have increased during 2021. There are numerous examples, from the murder on Abovyan Street to the tragedy that occurred in the private residence of former MP Artush Simonyan, where criminal authority Arthur Ghazaryan, known as Tuy, and MP Artush Simonyan were killed. Shots were also fired at the son of former MP Gagik Melikyan, resulting in the death of his friend. Due to an erratic gunfire incident, the daughter of the owner of the ‘Gloria’ garment factory also lost her life. Unfortunately, all these high-profile murders remain unresolved. Where is the shortcoming or oversight of the police? Why were the murders not prevented in a timely manner? Deputy Chief of Police Ara Fidanyan responds to these questions as follows: 'It must be noted that we have just shaken off a wartime situation, and it is clear from a criminological perspective that the circulation of illegal weapons must have increased in the Republic of Armenia. This is primarily responsible for the increase in certain murder statistics. I should mention that this number is relatively small, and measures are actually being taken to prevent and solve crimes.' In response to a clarifying question about whether he rules out the possibility that the weapons also reached civilians from the battlefield, the deputy chief of police responds affirmatively: 'It’s not that I rule it out; there are indeed many such cases, and necessary prohibitory measures are being regularly implemented.' Detailed information is available in today’s issue of the newspaper.