Eight break-ins per day on average were reported in the capital region in Iceland last year. However, the number of violent crimes decreased by 14 percent between years and sexual violations decreased by 25 percent.
From central Reykjavík. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
Police confiscated a significant amount of drugs in 2009—almost forty kilos, Fréttabladid reports.
According to preliminary numbers on crimes in the jurisdiction of the Capital Region Police for 2009, the total number of penalty violations increased by eight percent between 2008 and 2009.
Thefts were a large part of these violations as they increased by 17 percent between years.
“We had preferred a decrease in penalty violations in total,” said Capital Region Police Chief Stefán Eiríksson. “That did not happen and the reason is very clear in these numbers—the increase in crimes of enrichment.”
Eiríksson said police have the problem better in control than the numbers indicate.
In the latter part of 2009, the police reacted by monitoring active criminals more efficiently and creating a strategy on how to capture them as quickly as possible. Foreign gangs were also eradicated, the police chief explained.
“We will continue on this path; we are focused,” Eiríksson said. “We have very clear and decisive goals […] to solve as many cases as possible. It is very important that the police are doing what they can to maintain a low demand for drugs because it helps prevent the number of new drug users from increasing.”
Road traffic accidents decreased by more than 30 percent between years. “We are very proud of that,” Eiríksson said.
“Police supervision, their visibility in key locations at key times has played a part in that in addition to good cooperation with municipalities and others involved in traffic safety,” the police chief said in explanation of this development.
