Russia’s law enforcement and security officials have committed more crimes in 2018 than they did the previous year, according to a media report citing official data.
Authorities investigated 6,613 crimes committed by members of 10 key security and law enforcement agencies in 2018, according to data from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office cited by the newizv.ru news outlet. The number of investigated crimes at the 10 key agencies increased by 8.4% from 6,101 in 2017, while the number of investigations among all law enforcement officials decreased by more than 40% in 2017-18.
Police officers committed the most crimes in absolute numbers, with 3,819 preliminary investigations into Interior Ministry officers last year. Prison service officials followed with 1,018 investigations and bailiffs with 681.
The fourth and fifth-most number of crimes were committed by emergency officials (391) and members of the FSB (178).
National Guard troops saw the largest year-on-year change among the 10 agencies, with the number of crimes increasing 277% to a total of 83. Investigations into prison officials were up by almost 119%, while investigations into the Federal Security Service (FSB) rose by nearly 70%.
“Judging by the statistics, law enforcement representatives often place themselves above the law and see themselves as the country’s chief authority,” the news website wrote in its report.
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