Foreigners Commit 10% Of Crimes Registered In Moscow

10% of all crimes registered in Moscow are committed by foreigners; the number of crimes committed against foreigners makes up 2%, reported Police Colonel Andrei Pylayev, who heads the section responsible for investigating crimes against foreigners at the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department. Over the first 10 months of 2001, foreigners committed more than 9,500 offences. This number includes around 9,200 crimes committed by residents of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which is more than the number of similar crimes registered last year. For the most part, offences are committed by the unemployed or by hired workers from neighboring CIS states. Speaking about crimes against foreigners, the colonel said their number has also somewhat increased -- mostly due to the increased number of foreigners residing in Moscow. Of the total of 2,000 crimes committed against foreigners, 1,400 were aimed at CIS residents, which means foreigners from outside the CIS are more or less safe in the Russian capital, said Colonel Pylayev.