CRIME EVEN MORE THREATENING THAN CORRUPTION Pari - 2003/11/13
CRIME is perceived by society as much more acute problem than corruption. Bribe is rankled fifth after unemployment, low income, poverty, and crime, especially after the recent shooting series and assassinations, said Aleksandar Stoyanov, heading the Vitosha Research polling agency, citing the latest survey conducted by Coalition 2000 on the level of corruption in Bulgaria.
The Customs are the most corrupt government agency, data showed. Second is the justice ministry, followed by the Privatisation Agency and the ministry of interior. A visible change in people's perceptions on the issue is registered, Stoyanov said. The population is increasingly sensitive to the growing crime rate in the country, probably as a result of the spectacular blasts and contract murders, he explained. In only three months the assessments of the significance of crime went 6 points up.
Corruption indices are stable, almost equal the rate measured in May, 2002, indicating that a certain level of counteraction against corruption has been reached and some of the measures turned out efficient, Stoyanov thinks. Customs officers top the ten most corrupt professions, followed by policemen, judges, defence lawyers, and prosecutors. The most frequent size of bribe stands at an average of BGN 100. In October some 100,000 people bribed officials of various administration offices. The studies of Coalition 2000 found that about 2% of the population gives bribes and the rate has remained stable for 18 months.