Crime in Latvia is relatively low, by global standards, especially compared to previous years, when it was named the "crime capital of Europe" by Forbes [1] in 2008. The homicide rate in Latvia was 4.9 per 100,000 people in 2020, [2] a sharp drop from 10 cases per 100,000 people in 2000, [3] and has been steadily decreasing, [4] but has seen recent increases. The United States Department of State has assessed Latvia's security rating as "medium", [5] with a moderate crime rate. In recent times, crime has been increasing, particularly due to many Latvians stranded because of the COVID-19 pandemic returning to Latvia and choosing to commit crime. [6] According to Interpol, Latvia is considered an attractive place for regional and organized criminals involved in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, human trafficking, or smuggling. [7] According to the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, a third of all women in Latvia have suffered some form of sexual violence or rape while men are subjected to violence outside the family. [8]
Crime had seen massive increases in Latvia after the restoration of independence after end of the Soviet occupation. [9] The market transition from a planned economy to a free market-economy caused great social uncertainty in Latvia, and the crime rates rose. [10] The Latvian government defines crime as "an action endangering society and entailing criminal punishment whether committed intentionally or through negligence". [11] Crimes in Latvia have also been committed by other nations, like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during their respective occupations of Latvia in 1940 and 1941. [12]
The main types of crime common in Latvia include human trafficking, motor vehicle theft, and corruption. [13] Other crimes are also listed below.
The robbery rate in Latvia in 2018 was 27.7 cases per 100,000, a decrease from 108.3 cases per 100,000 people in 2004. [14] Over the two years ranging from 2018-2020, at least 10 warehouses of trading and production have been said to be robbed. [15]
2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2017 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
72.00 | 51.00 | 51.00 | 46.00 | 46.00 | 41.00 | 40.00 | 31.00 |
Homicide in Latvia has been seeing upticks recently. In 2020, a study conducted by Eurostat revealed that the three Baltic states had the highest homicide rates in the European Union in that year, with the homicide rate of Latvia being 4.9 per 10,000 people, followed by Lithuania (3.5) and Estonia (2.8). [17] Latvia also had the highest proportion of women as homicide victims among EU countries (60%, compared to an EU average of 37%). [18]
According to Euronews, Latvia, along with Italy and the United Kingdom, have the worst rankings in drug usage. [19] The most common illicit drug used by Latvians is cannabis, [20] [21] used by young adults aged 15–34, and specifically by males. Cocaine and ecstasy are also commonly used by Latvians. Drug trafficking is also common in Latvia. [22]
Originally, in the 1970s and 80s, drugs were produced at home, but from the 1990s onward, organized crime started manufacturing illegally-produced drugs, [23] like LSD, ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines. However, very few people are willing to take medicine for it.
Corruption is considered a serious issue in Latvia. Transparency International gave Latvia 42 out of a rank of 180 in corruption in 2020, [24] an increase by 2 places compared to 2019. [25] The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) is the main anti-corruption agency in Latvia. In a report by Reuters, that former Bank of Latvia Governor Ilmārs Rimšēvičs had been detained in prison for accepting a bribe of 500,000 euro bribe from Latvian bank ABLV. [26] Frequently, people from other countries, like Russia, have money laundering schemes based in Latvia. [27]
Organized crime in Latvia is common, particularly due to Latvia's position in the European continent. [13] Illegal immigration, human trafficking, and corruption are problems that organized crime groups in Latvia take advantage of frequently. As of 2014, 70 organized crime groups operate in Latvia. [28]
Illegal immigration is common issue in Latvia. The main origin countries of illegal immigrants are Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova, and from as far as Iraq, Iran, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. [29] Latvia, along with Lithuania and Poland, claims that Belarus has been using illegal immigrants from war-torn countries like Iraq as a way to pressure the European Union into lifting its sanctions on Belarus, and as such has declared a state of emergency along the Belarus–Latvia border. [30]
There were 665 refugees in Latvia in 2019, 237,966 migrants, and 181 new asylum applications in 2019; [31] in 2021, Latvia revealed it had detained 1,000 migrants, mostly from Iraq, Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries along the Belarus-Latvia border. [32]
The Latvian State Police (Latvijas Valsts policija, VP) is the official national police agency of Latvia. It is also helped by organizations it is a member of, like Interpol and Europol. Latvia is also signatory to the terms of the Treaty of Lisbon, which ensures that all EU member states allow free right of immigration, asylum, and are expected to work together to combat crime. [33] In September 2014, Latvian police participated in "Operation Archimedes", an effort organized by Europol to hunt down a cargo train sending stolen cars to Tajikistan. [13]
The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through the use of drug prohibition laws. The think tank Global Financial Integrity's Transnational Crime and the Developing World report estimates the size of the global illicit drug market between US$426 and US$652 billion in 2014 alone. With a world GDP of US$78 trillion in the same year, the illegal drug trade may be estimated as nearly 1% of total global trade. Consumption of illegal drugs is widespread globally, and it remains very difficult for local authorities to reduce the rates of drug consumption.
Crime in Moldova, as everywhere in the Post-Soviet states, has risen in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, although in recent years there has been an improvement. Corruption in Moldova, economic and drug-related crimes are the most visible and predictable results of the deteriorating economic situation. Racketeering and the mafia have also risen up during the 1990s and 2000s. Petty crimes, such as pickpocketing and street thefts, are also common.
Estonia is a relatively safe country, and the risk of being a victim of crime in Estonia is small by international standards. As in other post-Soviet states, crime has increased in the 1990s, but then it has gradually decreased in the 21st century.
Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš is an American-Latvian politician who served as the prime minister of Latvia from 2019 until 2023. A linguist and businessman by profession, he previously served as Latvia's minister of Economics and a Member of the European Parliament. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, United States, to parents who had left Latvia during the Soviet occupation, he was active in the American Latvian community throughout his youth.
Crime in Brazil involves an elevated incidence of violent and non-violent crimes. Brazil's homicide rate was 21.26 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Brazil has one of the highest number of intentional homicides in the world with 57,358 in 2018. In recent years, the homicide rate in Brazil has begun to decline. The homicide rate was 20.89 per 100,000 in 2019 with 43,073 killings, down from 30.59 per 100,000 with 63,788 killings in 2017.
Crime in Afghanistan is present in various forms, and includes the following: corruption, contract killings or assassinations, bombings, kidnapping, drug trafficking, money laundering, black marketeering, and ordinary crimes such as theft and assault.
Crime in Russia refers to the multivalent issues of organized crime, extensive political and police corruption, and all aspects of criminality at play in Russia. Violent crime in Siberia is much more apparent than in Western Russia.
Despite a reportedly low crime rate in China, crime still occurs in various forms. The Chinese government does not release exact unified statistics on crime rates and the rate of criminal offending due to such information being considered politically and socially sensitive. Scarce official statistics released are the subject of much academic debate due to allegations of statistical fabrication, under-reporting and corruption. The illegal drug trade in China is a significant driver of violent crime, including murder.
Crime and violence affect the lives of millions of people in Latin America. Some consider social inequality to be a major contributing factor to levels of violence in Latin America, where the state fails to prevent crime and organized crime takes over State control in areas where the State is unable to assist the society such as in impoverished communities. In the years following the transitions from authoritarianism to democracy, crime and violence have become major problems in Latin America. The region experienced more than 2.5 million murders between 2000 and 2017. Several studies indicated the existence of an epidemic in the region; the Pan American Health Organization called violence in Latin America "the social pandemic of the 20th century." Apart from the direct human cost, the rise in crime and violence has imposed significant social costs and has made much more difficult the processes of economic and social development, democratic consolidation and regional integration in the Americas.
Crime in Poland refers to the incidence, deterrence, and handling of criminal activity in the Republic of Poland by Polish law enforcement agencies charged with ensuring public safety and maintaining order. Poland ranks favorably in terms of public safety, with one of the lowest homicide rates in Europe. Poland was ranked 25th in the 2022 Global Peace Index and scored 0.0 on the 2023 Global Terrorism Index.
The crime rate in Oman is low compared to other industrialized countries. Incidents of serious crime are rare in the country. Incidents of petty crime are occasionally reported, including burglary and theft of property of foreign tourists. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) describes the law and order situation in Oman as "generally good". Incidence of street crime is low. Violent crime occurs, but is extremely low compared to the rest of the Middle East.
Overall, rates of crime in Spain are relatively low in comparison to other European countries, with the notable exception of robberies. In 2022 it was listed as number two out of 35 states in Europe with regard to the number of police-recorded robberies relative to population size, although in 2020 it had a lower homicide rate than the European Union average.
Crime in Denmark is combated by the Danish Police and other agencies.
Crime in Hungary is combated by the Hungarian police and other agencies.
The Romanian mafia or Romanian organized crime is the category of organized crime groups whose members are citizens of Romania or living abroad in the Romanian diaspora. In recent years they have expanded their criminal activities in the European Union, reads a Europol report on EU organized crime, being active mostly in Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The Romanian Mafia is composed of several major organized groups, which in turn have wider networks throughout Europe and have even reached as far as North and Central America.
Crime is present in various forms in the Philippines, and remains a serious issue throughout the country. Illegal drug trade, human trafficking, arms trafficking, murder, corruption and domestic violence remain significant concerns.
Refugees in Poland were, until 2022, a relatively small group. Since 1989, the number of people applying for refugee status in Poland has risen from about 1,000 to 10,000 each year; about 1–2% of the applications were approved. The majority of applications were citizens of the former Soviet Union.
Organised crime in Indonesia refers to planned crimes in Indonesia that could be perpetrated by either a political party or Indonesian gangs, also referred to as preman. The illegal activities may include corruption, cybercrime, money laundering, violence, felonies, extortion, racketeering and drug trafficking.
In August 2021, the government of Belarus began coordinating an influx of migrants, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa, to the borders of Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Although Belarus denied involvement, both the European Union and independent observers viewed it as hybrid warfare undertaken in response to the deterioration in Belarus–European Union relations following the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests. Between August and December 2021, tens of thousands of unauthorized border crossing attempts were recorded, peaking in October. At least 20 migrants died in the following winter. Attempted border crossings fell sharply the following year, but never returned to their pre-crisis levels. In the spring of 2024, numbers began rising again, although they remain well below those seen in the peak of the crisis in 2021.