EL.AS reveals: 86% of people involved in thefts and robberies in 2022 were… Roma

A Greek police report says 84% ​​of Greek citizens involved in robberies and thefts in 2021 were Roma.

One could, of course, say that it is a coincidence that in 2021 there was a similarly high percentage of Roma participation in criminal groups, etc., and this is reflected in the new Greek Police Organized and Serious Crime Report for 2022.

Report ELA for 2022

In January 2024, the Hellenic Police Service (ELAS) published a report on serious and organized crime in the country for 2022. The report begins with a message from the former head of ELAS, Lieutenant General Lazaros Georgakopoulos, followed by reports on various topics, which are then elaborated on. Of particular interest are those mentioned in the “Staff Summary”. Here are some of them.

Full text of the report:

“The main types of criminal activity of serious and organized crime in our country in 2022 are money laundering, illegal drug trafficking, weapons and ammunition, trafficking in illegal immigrants, human trafficking, smuggling of goods, trafficking in counterfeit goods, trafficking in cultural property, property crime, extortion, organized fraud, counterfeiting and counterfeiting.

In 2022, there were a total of three hundred and forty-two (342) criminal groups operating in our country, consisting of 2,549 members. Approximately every second of them (51.75% of the total) is domestic. The presence of foreign criminal groups (homogeneous or heterogeneous) is also significant (30.12% of the total). Criminal groups whose members' nationality was determined by both national and foreign citizenship accounted for 18.13% of the total.

Among foreign criminal groups, Albanian ones continue to play a dominant role, based on the nationality of the majority of their members (36.89% of all foreign groups), followed by Bulgarian (18.44%), Pakistani (12.62%), Syrian (6.79%) and Georgian (5.82%). To a lesser extent, the activities of ethnic criminal groups (ECGs) from Egypt, Afghanistan, Turkey, the Republic of North Macedonia, Great Britain, Algeria, Poland, etc. were identified.”

The profits these criminal groups made from their illegal activities are estimated at 158,000,000 euros.

Property Crimes in 2022

Property crimes (robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft), after a slight decline in 2020 and 2021 due to measures to combat the coronavirus, showed an increase in 2022, not reaching the levels of 2018 and 2019.

In particular, registered burglaries increased by 17.50% (66,873 against 56,924), robberies by 17.47% (2,824 against 2,404), and motor vehicle thefts by 23.24% (18,390 against 14,922 in 2021). In 2022, there was a slight change in the targets of criminal groups. Thus, a greater number of thefts are committed from houses (31% of the total), shops (22%), public places (20%), wheeled vehicles (14% of the total, with a very large number of thefts of vehicle spare parts) and, finally, other targets (13%, including thefts of metal objects made of copper, iron, etc. for illegal resale at scrap metal collection points…).

The profits made by the various groups in this sector from their criminal activities exceed 19 million euros. In 2022, a total of 167 criminal groups were dismantled. They had 1,052 members. The main type of criminal activity of 117 of these groups was burglary, 29 robberies and 21 car thefts. 67% of the criminal groups were domestic. 77% of them were gypsies (compared to 71% in 2021).

The main countries of origin of members were: Greece (611), Albania (145), Georgia (32), Pakistan (24), Romania (14) and Syria (11). The number of other countries is in single digits. However, the origin of members of 193 criminal groups is unknown. The first four countries of origin of criminals remained the same as in 2021. Minor changes follow.

Criminal gangs involved in burglary

Among the criminal groups that commit burglaries, domestic groups predominate (72% of the total), 22% of the total are foreign groups, and 6% of the groups consist of both Greeks and foreigners.

Among the foreign groups, the Albanian groups (pure or not) predominated – 45% of the total, Georgian – 32%, Romanian – 9%, Syrian – 4%, Algerian – 4% and Pakistani – 4% of the total.

Among Greek criminal groups, those in which Roma are members predominate – 86%. In 2021, this figure was 84%. In addition to the above-mentioned countries, criminal groups also include people from Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Egypt and Tunisia.

Criminal groups engaged in robberies

Greek criminal groups also lead in the number of robberies – 59%. “And here the participation of Roma is still high (49% of all members of Greek criminal groups are of Roma origin). In addition, Greek criminal groups also include expatriates from the former USSR countries (15% of the total), but to a much lesser extent than the Gypsies.”

We present this excerpt from the ELAS report in full:

Among the foreign criminal groups that committed robberies in 2022, Albanian criminal groups are in the lead (63% of the total), followed by Pakistani (9%), Afghan and Egyptian criminal groups – 7% each.

Criminal groups involved in vehicle thefts

Finally, let's look at what's happening with the criminal groups involved in theft of wheeled vehicles. In 2022, domestic groups are in the lead – 72% of the total. 39% are Roma and 9% are from the former USSR (mainly Russia and Kazakhstan). Among foreigners, Albanians predominate (61% of the total), followed, surprisingly, by Syrians (18%), Poles (13%), Palestinians and Pakistanis (4% each of these two groups). Of particular interest is the fact that 93% of wheeled vehicle thefts are cars, 6% are motorcycles and mopeds, and 1% are trucks.

The percentage of Roma participation in criminal organizations is given since 2017. In that year, 57% of members of domestic criminal groups (crimes against property) were Roma (in 2022, this figure will reach 77%). Also, in criminal groups that committed thefts and robberies, the share of Roma was 65% (in 2022, it will reach 86%).

In 2018, the corresponding figures were 59% and 79%. In 2019, these figures were 65% and 77%.

In 2020, the proportion of Roma involved in criminal groups (crimes against property) was 70%, and the proportion of Roma involved in groups committing theft and robbery was 82%. In 2021, these figures were 71% and 84% respectively, and in 2022, as we have already seen, 77% and 86% respectively.

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