National Police Chief: Crime rate unlikely be drastically reduced in 2017

Newly appointed National Police Chief Serhiy Kniazev says he has doubts that it will be possible to significantly reduce the crime rate in the country in 2017.

He stated this during Sonia Koshkina’s talk show on Channel 24 on Wednesday evening.

“I'd like to be optimistic, but I'm a realist. With the current social situation in the country, I’m not sure that there will be a radical change in the fight against crime in 2017,” said Kniazev when asked would he be able as National Police Chief to reduce the crime rate in the country.

Kniazev explained his opinion by the fact that the Ukrainian economy is growing very slowly.

"The decline [in the economy] stopped and it started gradually growing, but not as rapidly as it is needed to change the criminal situation,” he said.

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