Yanukovych’s team will be breaking up demonstrations, not fighting crime

Leader of the People’s Self-Defense civic movement Yuriy Lutsenko predicts that the crime situation in Ukraine will deteriorate following the appointment of the new leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"The minister, to put it mildly, is not the best candidate from the Party of Regions. They had many stronger figures, but chose the one that would personally carry out any instructions from Yanukovych, disregarding all legal and moral constraints. His deputy is the former commander of internal troops who issued live ammunition to be used against the people standing on the Maidan [in 2004]. President Yanukovych personally approved these horrible individuals, who will start working on Monday. I can’t interfere in their work. As any member of the opposition, I can only criticize them. I can promise you one thing – that I will not be silent. I predict that within half a year, there will be at least a 25-30% increase in crime. Because this team has come to rob the country and break up demonstrations, not battle crime," Yuriy Lutsenko said on Channel 5.

The former minister of internal affairs recalled that under his leadership, serious crimes fell by 7-8% as compared with 2005, and the number of traffic related injuries and deaths dropped by 30%. "This is the best in Eastern Europe," he noted.

Yuriy Lutsenko also recalled that under his leadership, law enforcement provided the prosecutor’s office with information on nearly 20,000 individuals suspected of crimes while in public office. "All these materials were sent to the prosecutor’s office and we should ask them why none of these crimes, including those committed by people who are working in the Cabinet of Ministers for the second or third time, were investigated or publicly reported, and why these cases have been closed in exchange for certain promises or gifts," he explained.