Crime in Bulgaria

A police box in the capital Sofia.

Crime in Bulgaria is combated by the Bulgarian police and other agencies.

Crime by type

Murder

In 2012, Bulgaria had a murder rate of 1.9 per 100,000 population.^[1] There were a total of 141 murders in Bulgaria in 2012.^[1]

Corruption

Corruption is a problem in Bulgaria. In 2011, a survey showed that one out of every four Bulgarians who dealt with doctors, police officers, customs officials or judges offered money, a gift or a favour to see their problems solved.^[2]

In 2006 the European Commission established goals for Bulgaria to improve its fight against corruption and organised crime.^[3] In the 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index, Bulgaria ranked 86th out of 182 countries.^[4] They scored a 3.3 with 10 the highest possible.^[4]

Organised crime

Bulgarian organised crime groups are involved in a wide range of activities, including drug trafficking, cigarette smuggling, human trafficking, prostitution, illicit antiquities trafficking, extortion (often under the cover of ostensible security and insurance companies) and the arms trade. They appear to have connections with the Russian Mafia, Serbian Mafia, and the Italian Cosa Nostra.

Human trafficking

Bulgaria is a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and children who are subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution and men, women, and children subjected to conditions of forced labor.^[5]

By location

Varna

The city of Varna is known to be the main hub for Bulgarian organized crime. Some sectors of the economy, including gambling, corporate security, tourism, real estate, and professional sports, are believed to be controlled in part by business groups with links to Communist-era secret services or the military; the TIM group,^[6] based in Varna, is one example.^[7][8]

See also

• Macedonian Mafia

References

1. Global Study on Homicide. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013.
2. http://www.euractiv.com/europes-east/corruption-bulgaria-year-report-news-514996
3. Bulgaria CVM
4. "2011 Corruption Perceptions Index". Transparency International. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
5. "Bulgaria". Trafficking in Persons Report 2010. U.S. Department of State (June 14, 2010).  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
6. "Ascent of Bulgarian TIM". Capital.bg. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
7. Former Secret Services Control the Bulgarian Economy (Бившите тайни служби контролират българската икономика, Mediapool, in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2007-04-11
8. Editor-in-chief of Varna daily brutally assaulted (Bulgarian Helsinki Committee). Retrieved 2007-02-10