The Condition and Trends of Crimes Committed in Public Places

Abstract

The success of prevention greatly depends on its proper support by research. In the present situation with crime counteraction, it is impossible to achieve substantial results without using the advances of research. Criminological research of different types of crimes makes it possible to focus on their specific features. The authors of the article analyze the current situation with crimes committed in public places and their trends. It is noted that a third of all crimes in official statistics was committed in public places; their structure is dominated by theft, plunder and illegal drug trade. The general reduction of the level of crime in public places, characteristic for 2016, was accompanied by a growth in the number of crimes in the sphere of illegal trade in arms, drugs, and the number of thefts. The authors pay special attention to street crimes (summarize criminological approaches to the concept of «street crime», show its dynamics, structure, consequences, influence on the situation with public order and public safety, socio-psychological state of the society and the assessment of the work of the police). The results of researching crimes in public places at the regional level are presented. Using the analysis of statistical data from State Information and Analytical Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the authors state that the Central Federal District is one of the most problematic from the criminal viewpoint in the country. A high coefficient of crimes in public places is observed in the Siberian, Far East, Ural Federal Districts. Key modern trends of crimes in public places include: a dominant share of crimes against property; unlawful use of modern information and communication technologies for criminal purposes; links with transnational organized crime; a steady trend for a younger age of persons who commit crimes of this type. The results of the conducted research make it possible to determine new criminal challenges, identify priorities of preventive work, use and develop measures aimed at improving the counteraction not only to crimes in public places, but to crimes in general.