Interfax: Casualties of law enforcement agencies reduce threefold in North Caucasus in 2015 – Interior Ministry

(Interfax – STAVROPOL, Feb 11, 2016)

A decline in the number of clashes, bombings and shelling incidents continued in the North Caucasus in 2015, head of the Russian Interior Ministry department in the North Caucasus Federal District Sergei Chenchik said at a coordination conference of district police chiefs in Pyatigorsk.

“The number of shelling incidents, bombings and clashes was significantly reduced in 2015. Casualties suffered by law enforcement agencies reduced more than threefold,” the district police department quoted Chenchik as saying.

The fight against the spread of extremist and terrorist ideologies on the Internet went on, he said.

A total of 123 criminal cases were opened on such counts last year, and 23 persons were convicted, he said.

In addition, the police seized over 4 million liters of alcoholic beverages, 3 million liters of ethyl alcohol and more than one million counterfeit federal excise marks from the illegal turnover last year.

Some 679 out of more than 2,000 criminal cases which had been opened by the police were referred to courts, the report said.

“Our activity prompted some manufacturers to shift their operations to the real economic sector. This is proven by larger payment of taxes, excises,” Chenchik said.