Police chief: crime levels up by fifth

The crime level in Lithuania has risen by a fifth in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year, the country's Police Commissioner General Renatas Pozela told the delfi.lt news website, adding that victims include not only Lithuanians, but also Ukrainian war refugees.

"Around 50 Ukrainians have fallen victims to various crimes. The vast majority of Ukrainians have been targeted by fraudsters, including domestic, electronic and phone fraud," the police chief said.

Based on open data from the Information Technology and Communications Department, 10,000 crimes were recorded in the first quarter of 2021, compared to 11,900 in the same period this year, up about 18.4 percent.

Some 26 Ukrainians are also suspected of having committed criminal offenses, such as traffic accidents, thefts and violent crimes, Pozela pointed out.

"We see a trend that our criminal world is targeting Ukrainian refugees", the commissioner said.