“The former administration of the Ministry of the Interior hid offenses, banditry acts, acts of terrorism, explosions and other criminal acts committed last year,” Minister of the Interior Victor Catan said at the meeting of the Ministry’s Board held to sum up the results achieved in 2009, Info-Prim Neo reports. The minister said that the former administration concealed a lot of serious crimes. According to him, the hiding of crimes was a detrimental practice in the police bodies. “The examinations revealed 107 hidden offenses and 448 offenses that had not included in the central database of the Ministry,” Catan said. In 2009, there were recorded 21,460 offenses, an increase of 3.1% compared with a year earlier. The increase stemmed from the 42.3% rise in the number minor crimes and the 2.6% rise in the number of less serious crimes. The offenses against the patrimony made up the largest number of crimes. Each second crime was a theft, robbery or embezzlement. The number of serious crimes, murders, acts of violence in the family, street offenses and offenses committed under the influence remains high, the minister said. Victor Catan is dissatisfied especially with the work done to combat offenses in the municipality of Chisinau, where there are concentrated about 50% of the total police force. “The situation at the Buiucani police department is alarming as the number of murders in that district rose by 400%, of bodily injuries – by 100%, of robberies – by 110%, of thefts - by 50%, of rapes – by 50%,” the minister said. At the same time, Victor Catan said the work of the Ministry of the Interior’s subdivisions improved after the appointment of the new administration in September last year. “There were annihilated 11 criminal groups that worked in Moldova and in the CIS. We pledged to solve everything that remained unsolved. We must achieve the set objectives and take measures to prevent such cases as the grenade explosion of October 14,” he said.