Azerbaijan, Baku, July 2 / Trend E. Mehdiyev /
Over 80,000 wanted people have been detained in Azerbaijan in the past 18 years. More than 6 tons of drugs have been seized from illegal turnover, Azerbaijani Interior Minister, Colonel-General Ramil Usubov said at meeting dedicated to the Day of Police, the Interior Ministry said today.
"As a result of search operations conducted after the decree of August 9, 1994 was signed, more than 24,000 criminal gangs were neutralized," he said. "More than 40,000 units of illegally held firearms have been seized. The number of committed crimes has decreased by 11 times."
He said that up to 90 percent of the illegal activities recorded each year fall to less serious crimes having no great danger to the society.
"The number of grave crimes, including murders and attempts, hooliganism, robbery, theft, for every 100,000 inhabitants is 2-10 times less in Azerbaijan compared to most countries in Europe, America and Asia," Usubov said.