Number of thefts, break-ins decreases as murder, economic crimes rise

Polish police recorded an almost 10% drop in muggings, break-ins, car thefts and pick-pocketing last year, compared to 2000. However, the frequency of murder, economic crimes and drug-related crimes increased. "The most important thing is that street crime is reduced," said Pawel Biedziak, spokesman for Police Headquarters. He underlined that the number of car thefts decreased by 8,000, despite a growing number of cars in Poland. However, according to criminologist Brunon Holyst, police efforts can be called a success only after several consecutive years of crime reduction. Thus far, the improvement in statistics may be connected to the rate of crimes reported to the police, rather than the real activity of criminals. (Zycie, pp. 1, 3, Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4) M.K.