Dmitry Medvedev noted that the situation in the North Caucasus Federal District remains problematic, but said that the results of operations carried out should not be underestimated as more than 60 terrorism-related crimes were prevented and a large number of bandits, including leaders of bandit groups, have been neutralised.
The President pointed out worsening statistics in some categories: the number of premeditated murders decreased by 13 percent in the country as a whole, but rose by 5 percent in the North Caucasus Federal District, while the number of crimes solved fell by almost 10 percent. President Medvedev stressed too that statistics often fail to reflect the real picture and called on the agency heads to take action to make statistics more reliable, using provisions such as those contained in the new law On the Police Force.
Mr Medvedev also emphasised that the regional authorities must cooperate more actively with the military, law enforcement and security agencies, above all in ensuring security in public places where large numbers of people gather.