Meeting with pupils of an orphanage on the eve of Christmas holidays and New Year

Under the chairmanship of the Prosecutor of the Vitebsk Region, Vadim Sushchinsky, the results of the implementation of the comprehensive program for the prevention of offenses in 2018 were discussed.

The participants of the meeting noted a positive trend towards a decrease in the number of registered crimes (-5.9%), including in the areas of activity of the criminal investigation department (-6.7%).

The preventive measures carried out in 2018 contributed to an increase in the level of law and order in the region, an improvement in the activities of crime prevention entities, and the formation of legal awareness among citizens. The crime rate per 10,000 population in the region is one of the lowest in the republic.

At the same time, many objective and subjective factors that negatively affect the crime situation remain, which necessitates the continuation of systematic work by all state bodies and public associations to prevent offenses.

Since May of the current year, an increase in the number of attempted murders and cases of intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm, as well as crimes committed in the sphere of family and domestic relations, has been observed. The number of crimes committed in the Braslav, Lepel, Rossony, Sennno, Ushachy, Chashniki districts has significantly increased.

Executive authorities have been assigned the duties of ensuring proper local control over the timeliness and effectiveness of the implementation of preventive measures defined by regional comprehensive programs and adequate planning of measures for the next reporting period, corresponding to the developing situation in the region. This work does not always meet the requirements:

- planning of preventive activities (Dokshitsky, Vitebsk, Lepel, Polotsk, Tolochin district executive committees, administrations of the city of Vitebsk);

- monitoring the crime situation, timely consideration at working meetings and executive committee meetings of the results of the activities of prevention entities.

The preventive measures taken

measures in a number of areas of activity have not yielded the desired results.

 Thus, there are instances of procrastination and mismanagement in ensuring the operability of agricultural machinery; not all city and district executive committees have ensured compliance with the requirements of the legislation on equipping facilities with video surveillance systems; issues of the effectiveness of the work of public order protection councils remain problematic.

A number of shortcomings and omissions, negatively affecting the effectiveness of the crime prevention system created in the region, occur in the sphere of preventing offenses that contribute to emergencies and loss of life, as evidenced by the significant increase in fires and the number of people killed in them (+38% based on the results of 11 months of 2018).

The expected effect from the preventive measures taken to prevent crimes against life and health of citizens in the sphere of family and domestic relations, and the application of administrative measures against persons who have committed offenses in this sphere, is absent.

The region still has problems with the implementation of legislative requirements in the operation of temporary shelter premises (Polotsk, Senno districts, Zheleznodorozhny district of Vitebsk).

Following the discussion, a decision was made aimed at improving the preventive work of all interested departments and services in the region.

Senior Assistant Prosecutor of the Region Natalya Kolpakova.