On April 16, Vitebsk /BelTA/. The crime rate in the Vitebsk region decreased by 4.9% in the first quarter, Igor Bogachev, head of the organizational and control department of the Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, told BelTA. According to him, as a result of the active and coordinated work of all interested departments on crime prevention, systemic solutions to social problems, it has recently been possible to achieve a reduction in the crime rate, consolidate positive general trends in the dynamics and structure of crime, and improve public order protection. Thus, a total of 3.1 thousand crimes were registered in the region in January-March. The structure of crimes shows a decrease in the number of robberies, muggings, rapes, and hooliganism. At the same time, the crime situation remains complex in Vitebsk, Beshenkovichsky, Gorodoksky, Dokshitsky, Orshansky, Lioznensky, Polotsky, and Senno districts. The issues of preventing recidivism remain relevant: their increase is noted in Gluboksky, Gorodoksky, Lioznensky, Orshansky, Senno, and Dokshitsky districts. Not everywhere are the observation commissions under city and district executive committees paying due attention to employment, social rehabilitation of persons released from correctional institutions, returned from therapeutic and preventive treatment facilities, as well as the organization of effective control over their behavior. Among other areas requiring attention, Igor Bogachev noted the insufficient work of the executive committees of Braslavsky, Beshenkovichsky, Verkhnedvinsky, Miorsky, Orshansky, and Shumilinsky districts in taking measures aimed at ensuring the effective operation of councils of public order protection points (POPP). He also emphasized that not all POPP councils have organized work on monitoring the crime situation and analyzing crime dynamics in their assigned territories. There are cases of formal functioning of councils in Orshansky, Ushachsky, Verkhnedvinsky, Vitebsky, Dokshitsky, Dubrovensky, Polotsky, Lepelsky, Postavsky, Miorsky, Senno districts, and Orsha.