Organised Crime & Crime Prevention - what works? - Scandinavian ...

NSfK’s 40. forskerseminar, Espoo, Finland 1998
Thus, a complex evaluation of the data about the status of hooliganism crimes in the Baltic
states suggests, that the volume and rates of growth of hooliganism crimes are the greatest in
Lithuania, followed by Estonia, and then Latvia.
Indicators of the spreading of theft, one more traditional type of crime, are presented in table
4.
Table 4. Thefts in the Baltic States during 1992-1996
Year
Registered thefts
Lithuania Latvia Estonia
total as a percent total as a percent total as a percent
number of all crimes number of all crimes number of all crimes
1992 42 708 75,4 48 190 77,9 33 309 80,7
1993 43 375 71,8 39 356 74,5 27 339 73,6
1994 40 252 68,6 27 211 66,4 24 719 69,2
1995 41 619 68,4 24 628 63,0 28 165 71,2
1996 44 600 65,5 23 368 61,2 24 764 69,9
Thefts made up the greatest part of criminality in general in the Baltic states in 1992 (75,4%
in Lithuania, 77,9% in in Latvia, 80,7% in Estonia). The smallest proportion of thefts was in
1996 (65,5% in Lithuania, 61,2% in Latvia, 69,9% in Estonia). As we see, in Lithuania and
Estonia theft as a proportion of all crime decreased during the five years by approximately 10
per cent, and in Latvia by 16,7 per cent.
Thus, thefts constantly make up the greatest part of registered criminality in the Baltic states:
in 1992 in Lithuania - 3/4 in Latvia - more than 3/4 and in Estonia - 4/5; in 1996 in Lithuania
- 2/3, in Latvia - less than 2/3, in Estonia - more than 2/3.
In general, theft as a proportion of all crimes and its dynamics during 1992-1996 was similar
in all of the Baltic countries.
But by total numbers of thefts and their dynamics the Baltic states differ very much. During
the above mentioned period, the greatest number of thefts was registered in Lithuania in 1996,
where there were 1892 crimes more than in 1992 but only 1225 more crimes than in 1993. So,
the number of thefts in Lithuania during the period mentioned above has not increased much
(by 4,4 per cent).
In Latvia during 1992-1996 the greatest number of thefts was registered in 1992 and the
smallest in 1996 (a difference of 24822 crimes, or 51,5% smaller).
In Estonia during 1992-1996 the greatest number of registered thefts was in 1992; smallest in
1994 and 1996 (accordingly by 8590 crimes or 25,8 per cent and 8545 crimes or 25,6 per cent
smaller).
This analysis shows that the most unfavourable situation and dynamics of thefts during the
1992-1996 period among Baltic states was in Lithuania: the total number did not increase
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