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MIA claims crime decreased in December

According to Rezonansi, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reports that crime in Georgia has decreased despite the fact that over 4 000 inmates have left prisons. The MIA says the criminal tension in October-November after the parliamentary elections changed in December, 2012. Expert in security issues, Beso Aladashvili, thinks that the statistical information about the crime rate was not made public during the previous government, which makes it difficult for the analysts to compare the new statistics with the old data.

Rezonansi reports that it is not possible to claim that the criminal situation will definitely increase after releasing the amnestied inmates. It is important to know what the situation was in the country during the United National Movement's (UNM) governance, afterwards, launch a new monitoring.

Political analyst Kakhi Kkahishvili says the increase of crime is usually caused by public inobservance and difficult economic conditions. "If the state would improve the social conditions of society, crime will naturally decrease," the newspaper reports, stressing that no sanctions can ensure the eradication of crime in the country. Rezonansi also states that the re-socialization of inmates is the most important issue; inmates should not have the will to repeat their crimes.



Staff release in GPB connected with reorganization

Liberali reports that according to Berdzenishvili, the Head of Public Relations Service of the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), over a dozen employees may be released form GPB because of the reorganization within the channel, while she said the information about sacking hundreds of workers is not true.

“I assure you that this is not an alarming figure. I cannot name the exact number (of employees which are planned to be dismissed) but it will not be 200, 300 or 400,” said Berdzenishvili, adding that from the very first day of appointing a new General Director, the staff workers were aware of the possible reorganization. She said the staff reduction does not only refer to the First Channel but the entire GPB, including both radio channels.

Interpressnews recently reported that producers and technical staff were dismissed from GPB, while according to the unofficial information; over 600 employees are on the waiting list.