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Research on volume crime and policing has been a core area of CSD research since it first collaborated with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in conducting the International Crime Victims Survey in 1997. Since then CSD in cooperation with its social survey agency subsidiary, Vitosha Research, has carried out regular crime victimization surveys of citizens and businesses. Since 2005, CSD established a regular National Crime Survey, which is conducted annually on behalf of the Ministry of Interior. Between 2004 and 2008 CSD, with the support of the Open Society Institute in New York and European Union, conducted a number of studies and on police racial profiling and police stops. Research articles of CSD’s researchers have appeared in international peer-reviewed journals. CSD researchers are also active in the public policy dialogue on crime and policing through regular appearance on all leading TV and radio networks, or as contributors to daily and weekly newspapers.
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Countering Extortion Racketeering in Bulgaria: Examining the Evidence and Devising Appropriate Measures
During the 1990s, Bulgaria experienced a significant upsurge in extortion racketeering, a crime which came to define the decade. Even though rates have decreased in recent years, the problem appears to persist. On 27 October 2016, the Center for the Study of Democracy organized a round table discussion on Countering Extortion Racketeering: Problem areas and Possible Measures. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Interior, General Directorate National Police, General Directorate Combatting Organised Crime and the Sofia Appellate Court. more » |
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Countering extortion racketeering: the European experience
Classic extortion racketeering was widespread in Bulgaria in the 90s of last century, but in the last fifteen years gradually declined and is not the big organized crime threat that it used to be. However, new forms of extortion emerged and gained momentum - different from those of the recent past, but in no case less dangerous or harmful. more » |
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CSD Policy Brief No. 66: Dynamics of Conventional Crime in Bulgaria 2015 – 2016
Crime rates in 2015 continue their downward trend with a decrease of 0.4% compared to 2014 levels. It must be noted, however, that the level of reporting crime to the authorities falls compared to officially registered numbers by the MoI in 2015. This means that latent crime is on the rise, which signifies a drop in public confidence in the MoI. One of the main reason for this discrepancy are the so-called police filters, which lead to diverging levels of officially recorded conventional crimes and crimes reported by the citizenry. These are some of the results of the National Crime Survey for 2015, presented in the current publication. more » |
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CSD Policy Brief No. 63: Extortion racketeering: the vulnerability assessment approach
Extortion racketeering has long been pointed out as the defining activity of organised crime. It has also been identified as one of the most effective tools used by organised crime in the accumulation of financial resources and the penetration of the legal economy. Although in recent years this crime has not been among the top listed organised crime threats in the strategic EU policy documents, it still remains ever present in European countries. The seriousness of the phenomenon has been recognised at the EU level and the crime has been listed in a number of EU legal acts in the field of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
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