A Greek Police report on crime during the first quarter of 2014 showed a dramatic increase of 41.6% in financial crimes and a drop of 21.5% in crimes such as thefts, robberies, break-ins and homicides.
According to the Greek Police report, compared to the first six months of 2013, the number of robberies has decreased by 653 while thefts and break-ins have dropped by 3,912, car thefts by 3,327 and homicides by 18. On the contrary, cases of counterfeit banknotes have increased by 411, forgery by 246, illicit trade by 236 and antiquity theft by 10.
The police arrested 60,350 people suspected for felony and misdemeanor charges, 5,794 of whom were arrested for thefts and break-ins while 133 with European and International arrest warrants were also arrested. During the first half of 2014 the police arrested 201 criminal gangs and solved 15,356 criminal cases.
The Financial and Economic Crime Unit (SDOE) carried out 311 inspections in various stores and enterprises, with 135 cases being launched over various offenses. The police has received a total of 1,153 complaints and arrested 717 people for debts to the State and other tax violations.
According to figures published by the General Secretariat of Public Revenue, in the first half of 2014, debts to the State amounted to 6,225 billion euros. Meanwhile, extensive tax evasion by individuals and businesses is widely damaging Greece ‘s economy. However the Greek government has not found an effective solution yet.
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