Eurostat recorded our country as a leader in the EU in murders, police protests 0 9

If we are to believe the latest report from Eurostat, which examines the statistics for 2023, the crime situation in our country is simply terrible. According to the bureau, Latvia is the only country in the European Union where more than 4 murders per 100,000 residents are registered year after year. In total, 79 murders were recorded in Latvia in 2023.

However, as reported by LSM, the State Police of Latvia fundamentally disagrees with this count, which the portal asked to comment on this disheartening statistic. According to law enforcement, 70 murders were recorded in Latvia in 2023. The difference between Latvian and European statistics arises from different methodologies, as Eurostat includes in the category of "murder" not only intentional killings but also cases where a person died as a result of serious bodily harm, even if the killing was not initially planned.

"Murder is the intentional unlawful deprivation of another person's life. That is, a person's life is taken with direct intent and as a result of intentional actions," explained Gita Grjibovska, a representative of the State Police, to the portal. "At the same time, intentional infliction of serious bodily harm, which through the negligence of the offender caused the victim's death, does not imply direct or indirect intent for death to occur."

This, of course, can be debated.

The police believe that a separate problem is related to Article 125 of the Criminal Code — "serious bodily harm." Its third part includes two very different types of crimes. One involves serious bodily harm that resulted in death, while the other involves serious bodily harm without fatal outcomes, if committed by an organized group.

Thus, even if the victims of the crime survived, Eurostat still includes both categories in the "murders" section, which, according to the police, creates a distorted picture. It turns out that due to Article 125, this statistics also includes arson of last year's grass, resulting in deaths, medical errors, and even the tragedy at "Maxima"... This is why Latvia appears more "criminal" in European statistics than it actually is.