Russian and Belarussian Police to Fight Hi-Tech Crime Together

Russian and Belarussian police officers are to fight hi-tech crime together. The two countries' interior ministers signed a protocol to this effect yesterday in Pskov. According to Rosbalt's correspondent, Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov said that the issue of crime in the hi-technology sector of the economy is being discussed at the intergovernmental level. Gryzlov believes that the problem is highly pressing, as the number of crimes in this sphere has risen tenfold since 1998.

The meeting between representatives of the two interior ministries also discussed the work of law-enforcement agencies to protect copyright and intellectual property, as well as the fight against counterfeit products. The Russian Interior Minister said that 40 million illegal discs and 200 million illegal audio and video cassettes are produced in Russia each year.