Safe city: How Moscow fights crime

Muscovites are feeling safer than before. A 2017 poll by the Research Institute of Sociology found that 65 percent of responders consider Moscow a safe city to live in, against 30 percent in 2013.

This belief is rooted in reality. Last year, there were 38.4 percent fewer assaults with intent to rob, 36 percent fewer robberies, and 7 percent fewer felonies. With a 34.2 percent drop, car theft is on the decline, too, as is hooliganism that last year was reported in 14.4 percent fewer cases.

Moscow streets, squares and parks are now safer having seen a 28.7 percent reduction in reported crime, and a 27.7 percent decline in violations.

Muscovites appreciate Moscow police efforts in fighting crime. A poll found that about 67 percent of citizens feel safe in the city.

These results were achieved through a variety of measures that included 24 hour monitoring, road traffic monitoring, video surveillance, metro inspections and crime prevention.  The city will continue to use these measures into 2018.

Information city

The citywide surveillance system is based at the Single Data Storage and Processing Centre (SDSPC). It collects streams from 160,000 cameras in courtyards, building entrances, public spaces, schools, universities, and outpatient clinics, including 17,000 cameras in the integrated intelligent transport control system, and those in parks, banks, trade centres, bus stops, and kindergartens.

Public and police officials have real-time access to all the records.

Citywide surveillance markedly improves crime investigation and is used in 70 percent of all investigations. In 2017, cameras helped to solve 3,085 crimes, half of them thefts, including burglaries, and 372 assaults with intent to rob.

Muscovites can also call a hotline operator to hold a recording for use in court in cases of theft, property damage or traffic accidents once the time, location and reason is submitted. Recordings will then be stored for 30 days. The hotline can be reached at +7 (495) 587 00 02. Last year, Muscovites reserved over 22,000 videos.

Enhanced road inspections

Moscow has normalized parking, placed cameras on the roads and public transit and set up an intelligent transport control system. Changes to speed limits, new crossings and tighter traffic control have resulted in 1.5 times fewer traffic fatalities over seven years. In 2017 alone, the number fell 12.3 percent.

The city plans to install more cameras at locations which see the most accidents to further reduce the number of traffic violations. There are a total 1,460 photo- and video-cameras on the streets and roads in Moscow.

Metro, too

Every metro station has a special inspection area with metal and explosive detectors, explosion-proof compartments, radiation monitors and x-ray devices.

Last year, the number of riders and luggage inspected increased 1.5 and 2 times, respectively. In total, over 84 million people were checked.

Prior to major events, the staff of inspectors, which welcome riders at station entrances, was increased. It now has 1,200 staff members in this capacity.

Higher case clearance rate

In 2017, Moscow police launched preliminary investigations of over 40,000 crimes, a decrease of 7,000 year-on-year; 13,100 of the crimes were felonies.

Juvenile delinquency fell 22.3 percent. There were 36.4 percent fewer repeat juvenile offenders.

Over a tonne of drugs, psychotropic substances, analogous and potent substances were seized.

Last year, police detected 10,400 white-collar crimes that caused 32.3 billion roubles in financial damage, of which 68.1 percent were recovered.