In 2020, the internal affairs agencies successfully fulfilled their mandated tasks in the sphere of crime prevention and maintenance of public order and security. The crime situation was completely under control. Last year, the Republic of Azerbaijan, which once again confirmed the image of a state capable of providing a high level of security for citizens, took the leading positions among the CIS and Eastern European countries in terms of the crime rate (257) per 100,000 inhabitants with the population size of 10 million.
During the reporting period, a total of 26,004 crimes were registered by the subjects of operational-search and investigative activities (- 668 or 02.5% from the same period a year earlier). 24,566 or 94.5% of these crimes were the offences preliminarily investigated by the internal affairs agencies and public prosecution office. 86.7% of the offences in criminal proceedings of the internal affairs agencies are the crimes not posing serious public threat (6853) and minor offences (14,450), and only 13.3% (3263) were classified as grave and especially grave crimes.
Among the registered crimes there were 5613 (+444 or +8.6% from the same period a year earlier) crimes committed against personality; 9,712 (-957 or -9.0%) crimes committed in the economic sphere; 9,388 (-923 or -9,0%) crimes committed against property; 8414 (+596 or +7.6%) crimes committed against public security and public order, and 732 (-103 or -12.3%) crimes committed against state authority.
It should be noted that the internal affairs agencies solved 85.5% of all registered crimes: trafficking in human beings – 98.9%; crimes involving traffic accidents – 98.6% (including vehicular manslaughters – 98.1%); smuggling – 97.2%; hooliganism crimes - 97.0%; grievous bodily harm – 96.3% (including sexual assaults – 96.3%); fraud – 94.5%; willful homicides – 94.0%; crimes involving illegal drug trafficking – 92.9%; robbery – 92.2%; blackmailing offenses – 91.3%; misappropriation and embezzlement.- 82.8%. In the result of the measures taken, the detection rate for grave and especially grave crimes committed under unknown circumstances reached 84.1%. At the same time, compensation for material damage caused to citizens was provided for 94.0% at the stage of the preliminary investigation.
Trends in crime is characterized by a decrease in the number of facts of hooliganism by 36.5% (-288); smuggling – by 30.5% (-68), robbery– by 16.9% (-20), thefts – by 11.8% (-857), auto thefts – by 10.1% (-16), plunders – by 7.8% (-23), crimes involving traffic accidents – by 6.0% (-132) (including vehicular manslaughters – by 15.3% or 97), fraud – by 1.2% (-25), intentional serious bodily harm – by 0.3% (-1).
Among 3450 unsolved crimes, 3106 (90.0%) were offences of minor gravity and crimes not posing serious public threat and only 344 (10%) were grave and especially grave crimes. Among them there were 2697 (78.1%) crimes against property, 328 (9.5%) crimes involving illegal drug trafficking, and 132 (3.8%) crimes against personality.
Purposeful measures were taken in the field of combating drug trafficking as a type of transnational organized crime with a focus maintained on withholding large quantities of narcotic substances from illegal drug trafficking. As a result, 5041 (+965) crimes involving drugs were detected including 1736 (+459) facts involving drug trafficking. 1 ton and 873 kg of narcotic substances were taken from criminals including 839 kilograms of heroin and opium classified as the potent narcotic substances, 301 persons and 131 criminal groups were neutralized.
2853 (+30.9%) of 4084 persons brought to trial for this kind of crimes are employable, unemployed and uneducated, 1239 (+39.4%) are previously convicted, 69 (+1.5%) are women.
In the result of consistent steps taken against trafficking in human beings, 155 crimes were detected, 3 criminal groups were neutralized, and 94 victims of trafficking were reintegrated into the society.
In the result of investigative and operational activities carried out together with prosecution agencies, 310 crimes which remained unsolved since previous years were solved, including 48 grave and especially grave crimes.
In the result of operational activities taken in the field of protection of economic security of the country 39 (+13) facts of crime connected with counterfeit money production and sale were detected; 1672 counterfeit notes of various nominal values were recalled from illegal circulation as well as over 4790 tons of expired foods and construction materials were removed from sales.
Location of 66 persons on the wanted list of the Interpol's National Central Bureau and 47 persons wanted in the member-states of this organization was identified.
In the reporting period, 3744 (80.6%) of 4643 accused persons on the wanted list were detained and the location of 665 (82.6%) of 805 missing persons was identified. Positive results were achieved in searching and detention of persons wanted by the police for robbery (94.3%), illegal drug trafficking crimes (92.7%), theft (91.0%), hooliganism (89.7%).
In the result of operational and search activities in crime prevention, 882 criminal groups consisting of 2237 persons were neutralized.
In 2020, 12,799 persons were brought to trial, 7906 (+6.4%) of them were unemployed, 2668 (+26.4%) were previously convicted, 554 (-14.5%) were women and 320(-1.5%) were minors.

                                                  Capital – Baku city

Baku is rightfully considered one of the safest and most stable cities in the post-Soviet space.
Today, the population of the capital is about 3 million people (officially registered).
The "Safe City" service provided 24/7 monitoring of public order in the city. In addition the latest technical means of monitoring and ensuring road safety including new cameras were used. The number of technical means in 2020 reached 13,365 thousand units.
As in previous years, positive results were made by the metropolitan police in combating crime, protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens and their legitimate interests, and adequately coped with their duties to ensure public order and public safety at state and international events including with regard to the pandemic (COVID-19) (successful monitoring and ensuring the safety of the population).
It should be noted that the capital accounts for 10,509 or 42.8% of 24,566 crimes registered in the country by the internal affairs and prosecution agencies in the current year.
In the structure of registered crimes, 86.2% are offences of minor gravity and crimes not posing serious public threat and only 13.8% are grave and especially grave crimes. The detection rate for crimes committed under unknown circumstances reached 70.7%, for crimes involving illegal drug trafficking – 99.4%, for crimes against personality - 96.2%, for crimes against public security and public order – 91.6%.
The overall number of crimes decreased by 6.0% when compared to 2019, the number of willful homicides decreased by 28.8%, grievous bodily harm - by 28.4%, crimes against the state authority – by 23.8%, crimes against property – by 15.4%, attempted homicides – by 11.5%, hooliganism – by 2.3%. The detection rate for grievous bodily harm was 97.1%, willful homicides – 91.1%, and sexual assaults – 87.5%.
The dynamics of crimes committed against foreign citizens was characterized by 14% decline as compared with 2019; the share of these crimes in Baku was only 0.7%. 64 or 82.1% of 74 crimes of this type were solved. 67 or 90.5% of these crimes were offences of minor gravity and crimes not posing serious public threat including 4 facts of violation of traffic rules and vehicle operation.
The number of crimes committed in public places decreased by 51.0% and amounted to 313 facts (188 were the crimes committed in streets, squares, and parks and 125 in other public places). There was also a decrease of 8.8% in crimes related to domestic conflict, a total of 45 facts of this type of crimes were registered.
In the result of investigative and operational activities carried out together with prosecution agencies, 165 crimes which remained unsolved since previous years were solved, including 33 grave and especially grave crimes.
In the result of operational activities taken in the field of protection of economic security of the country 16 facts of crime connected with counterfeit money production and sale were detected.
The principle of unavoidability of punishment was also among the priorities. As a result, 254 accused persons were arrested for committing grave and especially grave crimes.
   
                             Main Operational and Statistical Information Department