Soviets Publish Crime Figures for First Time

MOSCOW — In line with its drive for more openness, the Kremlin published crime figures for the first time on Friday and said they showed a drop in the number of murders but a rise in drinking and drug offenses.

A report by the news agency Tass of the Justice Ministry figures gave no detailed comparison of how crime rates had changed nationwide.

The statistics showed that in the first six months of the year, 4,682 people were convicted of premeditated murder, and 50,008 of “all types of hooliganism,” Tass said, adding that this represented a decrease over the same period last year.

Soviet officials have previously been wary of disclosing specific figures on crime, with the only published statistics expressed as percentage increases or decreases in crime rates.

62% Increase

Revealing that drug-related offenses have been increasing, Tass gave no figures for the whole country, but said that in Uzbekistan 1,473 people had been convicted in the first half of the year, a 62% increase. It said that the rate had also gone up in Moldavia and Latvia.

Tass said convictions for illegal home-distilling were up 39%. It gave no indication of the numbers involved but said the worst affected regions were the Russian Federation, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Home distilling, a long established practice in rural areas of the Soviet Union, has become more widespread as people seek ways to circumvent laws restricting alcohol sales and sharp price rises, according to press reports.

Embezzlement, Theft

Tass also said that in the first half of 1987, a total of 64,231 people were convicted of embezzlement or theft of state property and 63,574 of theft of personal property. It did not say whether the figures represented a rise or fall.