CRIME IN THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Compared to other European countries, the Republic of Belarus is perceived as a strong social state that has managed to considerably reduce its crime rate, mainly thanks to the efficient development of the criminal policy. After the country declared its independence, the crime rate more than doubled compared to the last decade of the Soviet period; nevertheless, at present the crime growth is stable and its level is far below the average European figure. This paper presents an analysis of official crime data for the Republic of Belarus. The author stresses that although official statistical data indicate a moderate crime level, the actual situation seems to be different. Factors like a specific way to report crimes, excessive bureaucratization of the punitive apparatus, low level of trust of law enforcement bodies and criminogenic specifics of some crimes indicate that the dark figure of crime is rather high. The issues of latent crimes in Belarus are also studied through the analysis of actual homicide rate: the comparison of different sources of statistical data allows the author to present some arguments regarding the subjective character of official information. A comparative analysis of homicide rate data presented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and the data on the causes of mortality registered by the Ministry of Healthcare allows to state that the dark figure of violent crimes in the country is high. The paper also pays special attention to certain criminogenic factors like drinking alcohol, spread of drug use and corruption; their considerable impact on the general crime rate questions the reliability of official data regarding a positive trend in criminogenic situation in Belarus.