As many as 1,600 crimes have been committed in Tiraspol town since the start of this year, an increase of 26.2% compared with the corresponding period last year. 557 of them are serious crimes, while 167 are extremely serious offences, Info-Prim Neo’s correspondent in the region informs, quoting local statistical data. The number of murders, cases when the persons suffer serious bodily injuries and thefts has increased. According to the head of the Tiraspol internal affairs division Iurii Ursul, the main cause of the rise in the number of crimes is the lower living standards in the region. An important role was also played by the recent amnesty, the Transnistrian official said. The amnesty applied to men and women older than 60 and, respectively, 55. These were freed regardless of the prison term they got.