Crime in Belgrade

They said that the 90-110% annual rise in crime would turn every citizen into a criminal within a few years. But the experts seem to have underestimated the situation, since the rise in crime has surpassed even the gloomiest predictions.

Police statements aren't doing much to ease fears among the population with their unconvincing claims that crime rates are dropping while the number of uncovered crimes is rising. Even the few statements on murders and robberies that the Belgrade police unwillinglz give to journalists (much more is kept quiet) show that we have hit rock bottom, says law professor Ljubisa Lazarevic.

There are scoresof examples: a double murderin the Krnjaca neighborhood, the murder of SRS official Oliver Baret in Novi Beograd (14 bullet wounds), the death of Branislava Pavlovic (throat cut) in a Belgrade suburb, the murder of Marija Gogova in central Belgrade with a screwdriver, a double gunshot murder in central Belgrade of Radoje Antic and Ruzica Radivojevic, the killing of Marko Divac with a knife in a suburb. Cynics say crimes involving knives and similar weapons will die down soon because Zastava gun factory is going to begin selling pump action shotguns this month. Those are just some of the recent murders that the public knows about. Anything that can be hidden is never made public - allegedly to aid the investigation. This is aimed at making the state appear worthy of confidence when it is in fact falling apart.

Federal Justice Minister Goran Stojanovic said recently: "Official statistics show that last year we had fewer crimes than in 1985, yet we are witnesses to the fact that the actual number of crimes is far higher. Also, the number of crimes has risen dramatically while our jails are empty." (Borba, June 2, 1994).

Professional policemen left their jobs long ago and were replaced by men who have a lot to learn. Dragan Mladenovic, a policeman who disclosed a lot of dirt among high-ranking policemen, recently had a gun planted on him in a display that showed how primitive and stupid some police chiefs were when they decided to eliminate and persecute a co-worker who didn't fit into the groups of corrupt policemen who are involved in crime. The court established that the gun was planted and freed Mladenovic.

Another reason why the jails are empty are the close links between police officials and criminals. Leading Belgrade crime bosses and their gangs are protected by influential police officers. They know exactly who they'll go after and when to look the other way. Their protection of criminals is usually justified with claims that "they did certain favors for the state", but no one discloses the details of the favors because allegedly they are state secrets. But the courts are still swamped by murders, robberies,woundings... Judges areliterally exhausted. Interestingly, the largest number of murders and woundings in Belgrade involve Montenegrins.

A group of men are currently on trial in Belgrade on charges of breaking and entering, and holding people hostage to force them to reveal where their valuables are. Vesko Kontic admitted that he dressed in police uniform, rang a doorbell in beogradska street 41 and gained entry when the flat owner saw his uniform. The gang's leader Miloje Radunovic tied the man up with a cable. The charges against the group say that Radunovic, Milinko Rutovic, Vladeta Kecic and Vesko Kontic handcuffed the man, threw him down onto a bed, tied his left foot to his arms, rammed a rag into his mouth and tied a necktie around his eyes. They beat him to find out where he was keeping the money he got from a flat sale. They only got 750 DM. The real police arrived while they were packing two suitcases with valuables. Rutovic and Kecic escaped across the balcony, but they left their car behind with their fingerprints all over it. Kecic admitted involvement in the robbery, but both he and Kontic claimed Miloje Radunovic wasn't with them. They said another man with the same name had been with them in the flat. Informed sources said they had both been threatened and ordered to say Radunovic hadn't been involved. Their statements weren'tvery credible. Their fear is understandable, since Radunovic enjoys the reputation of a man who never forgives anything and who has close links with a Montenegrin crime gang that has been accused of numerous killings. Both Radunovic and Rutovic claimed they never took part in the robbery, but there is plenty of evidence to charge them.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to prove someone guilty because the police sometimes face insurmountable problems in gathering evidence. Many witnesses refuse to testify after they are threatened, especially when famous criminals are charged. Rumors in Belgrade's hall of justice say that even judges get anonoymous letters and phone calls. Some judges' flats have been broken into, their children tied and gagged, threatened...

Former Belgrade police chief Markovic once told TV reporters that the judges could only blame themselves for choosing an occupation that carried that kind of risk. Many judges are doing their job despite everything, but how long will that last? Recently, an accused man spoke softly with his head turned towards his lawyer, but loud enough for the judges to hear: "If they keep me in jail there'll be a bloodbath." The lawyer (and politician) didn't abandon the case, which could mean that he had nothing against those words. The judge passed a five year sentence.

In the world of criminals, a good lawyer is one who can get you off with five years or less. In that case, the accused is not put in jail until he exhausts all appeals. That is time enough for some to change their identity, move away and hide for years.