Crime in 2008

Abstract

The article presents data on crime dealt with by the Slovene police. In 2008, the police forwarded criminal complaints and reports supplementing criminal complaints to state prosecutors concerning 81,917 criminal offences, which is 7.1% fewer than in 2007. The share of cleared-up criminal offences rose from 43.3% to 45.1%. The number of criminal offences against life and limb, sexual offences and property offences decreased, as did juvenile delinquency and economic crime, while the proportion of organised crime slightly rose. In 2008, there was also an increase in computer related criminal offences.

A ten-year comparison of the number of criminal offences processed by the police indicates that their several-year rise stopped in 2007. Among criminal offences against life and limb there was an increase in minor offences, while the number of more serious criminal offences (manslaughter, murder and aggravated assault) decreased in 2008 by more than half in comparison to the period ten years ago. There was also a decline of serious sexual offences (rape and sexual violence). Among criminal offences against property, which represent more than two thirds of crime, an increase of less serious forms of thefts and some other minor property offences was noted until 2006. While the number of more serious criminal offences against property such as robberies, has not changed, the proportion of larcenies in the form of robberies doubled in 2008 compared with the period ten years ago. The extent of juvenile crime diminished with regard to the entire cleared crime by more than twice. The number of criminal offences of economic and organised crime was subject to great oscillation in this period.