Gruevska-Drakulevski A. Comparing the crime dynamics in Macedonia and Europe: are the crime rates growing?

Abstract: The author compares the most significant crime rates in the Republic of Macedonia and in Europe. The study is based on the police statistical data on the registered crimes. The author doesn’t consider the information of the court and penal systems. In order to avoid misinterpretations, the article gives attention to the methodological restrictions for analyzing international data. Together with theoretical materials, the article contains empirical data which help verify the registered correlations. The author studies the official statistical data, acquired from annual reports of the State statistical department of the Republic of Macedonia on the offenders for 2007 – 2011. The research methodology is based on dialectics, abstraction, analysis, synthesis, deduction, the formal-logical, comparative-legal, statistical and interdisciplinary legal methods. The author concludes that the crime tendencies in Macedonia are quite similar to those in other European countries, despite the crime rate growth of the recent years. The most concerning one is the crime rate, i.e. the number of crimes per 100000 people, since the Republic of Macedonia is traditionally considered as the state with a comparatively low crime rate. The study develops criminological and statistical theory and raises the issue about the need for the crime monitoring methods improvement in Macedonia and statistical registration modernization in order to provide international organizations and institutions, studying criminal situation in Europe, with the comprehensive information. The author emphasizes that Macedonia shouldn’t be excluded from these key scientific and research projects. 

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