Property offences formed the largest recorded group in 2025, with 1,545 cases, or 33.6% of the IGP first-quarter 2026 total. Transport offences accounted for 878 cases, drug offences for 458, public-health and social offences for 469, and public-order offences for 315. The leading individual categories were drunk driving, fraud, theft, drug offences, hooliganism, road-crash offences and active bribery. Recorded crime fell by about 6% year on year in the BNS 2025 figures, which represented approximately 97 offences per 10,000 inhabitants and about 12,100 victims. The IGP reported that Chișinău accounted for 35.4% of its first-quarter 2026 offences and urban areas for 67%. BNS and IGP totals should not be compared as identical measures because their coverage and registration systems differ. The main bodies are the Ministerul Afacerilor Interne (MAI), the IGP, territorial police units, the Inspectoratul Național de Investigații (INI), Procuratura and PCCOCS. Police units register complaints, investigate cases, search for suspects and run prevention operations. In 2025, police recorded 20,126 offences; 67.14% were sent to a prosecutor, 50.83% had completed investigations and 41.67% were sent to court. In the first quarter of 2026, identification rates were reported as 100% for homicide, 100% for serious bodily injury, 11% for robbery, 43% for property offences and 51.89% for offences against sexual life. These figures describe recorded cases and investigative outcomes, not the risk or resolution of every incident. Call 112 immediately for danger, a crime in progress, a serious road crash, a missing child or a situation requiring urgent police, medical or other emergency help. The service operates nationwide, 24 hours a day, without a user charge. During the first quarter of 2026, 112 received 68,555 police requests; the average processing time was about 1 minute 38 seconds and the average police response was about 32 minutes 4 seconds. These averages include non-urgent and non-police calls, so they do not predict the response to a particular incident. False emergency calls can be sanctioned; the IGP recorded 313 contraventions and 36 fines totalling MDL 69,500 in that period. For a non-urgent matter, contact the relevant territorial police unit or the IGP. An online petition requires a digitally signed PDF of no more than 15 MB. Romanian or Russian is preferred, and the authority can send an electronic or paper reply. Preserve messages, phone numbers, screenshots, bank records, transaction details, photographs and other original evidence. After bank fraud or suspected card theft, contact the bank immediately and report the matter to the Police or 112 when urgent. Domestic violence requires a rapid safety response. In the first quarter of 2026, the Police recorded 5,033 reports, 380 offences and 393 victims, including 311 women, 48 children and 34 men. Police issued 1,613 urgent restraining orders and recorded 320 breaches. The usual process is a call to 112 or the Police, a risk assessment, an urgent order where justified, and referral to social, medical or specialist support. The Centrul de Justiție Familială (CJF) in Chișinău offers protection from an aggressor, primary and qualified legal aid, psychological counselling and forensic examination around the clock. Access is available through 112 or the trust line 0 8008 8008. The Sistema Național de Referire (SNR) connects social, health and police actors with longer-term support. Regional maternal and crisis centres operate in locations including Cahul, Bălți, Hîncești, Căușeni, Anenii Noi and Ungheni. The cited public support information does not state a user fee, and referral timing depends on the case. Cybercrime in Moldova includes bank-card theft, phishing, impersonation, false investment pyramids and fake calls claiming that a relative caused a road crash. The IGP recorded 12 cyber or electronic-communications cases, three cyber-fraud cases and seven cases involving distribution of child sexual-abuse material in the first quarter of 2026. For 2025, it reported 89 cyber or electronic-communications cases, 46 computer-assisted fraud cases and 24 cases involving child sexual-abuse material. The Police Cybercrime Laboratory has operated since 2025. Do not share a PIN, password or verification code, and preserve digital evidence before deleting or changing messages. Trafficking remains a serious risk, especially in cross-border recruitment, rural areas, among young people and in schemes involving romantic relationships or attractive job offers. The IGP recorded 17 trafficking cases and 18 victims, including five minors, in the first quarter of 2026; the 2025 figures were 57 cases and 89 victims, including 23 minors. Police or PCCOCS can identify or refer people into the SNR. The Centrul de Asistență și Protecție (CAP) in Chișinău provides case-based shelter, protection, rehabilitation and medical or social support. Relevant contacts include CAP at +373 22 927 194 or +373 765 02533, the male trafficking service at +373 22 796 109, CNPAC at +373 22 758 806 or +373 78000480, and state-guaranteed legal aid at +373 22 310274. Young people appear in both prevention and enforcement work. In the first quarter of 2026, 49 cases involved 79 minors, 76 boys and three girls, concentrated mainly among 16- and 17-year-olds. Seventy-eight were recorded as first-time offenders and 52 were subject to criminal responsibility. Missing-child cases reached 497, with eight unresolved on 31 March 2026. The child-protection process runs through 112 or the territorial Police and the relevant social or child-protection authority. IGP prevention work includes Stop Bullying, online-safety activities and dialogue with young people. Drug offences rose to 458 criminal cases in the first quarter of 2026, up 35.91% year on year. The main substances listed by the authorities include marihuana, PVP, mephedrone, cannabis, hashish, MDMA and cocaine. IGP, the Inspectoratul General al Poliției de Frontieră, Customs, ANTA and the Procuratura cooperate on prevention and enforcement. Small-quantity possession or use can follow a contraventional process in some circumstances, so the exact classification depends on the facts and applicable procedure. Road safety is a major everyday crime and injury concern. The first quarter of 2026 recorded 373 crashes, 39 deaths and 445 injuries. Inappropriate speed, visibility and road conditions were the leading combined factor, recorded in 122 cases, or 32.71%. Drunk-driving cases reached 688. Use a seat belt, avoid alcohol and drugs when driving, reduce speed in poor visibility and respect pedestrian priority. IGP campaigns include Pieton, Semafor, Vehiculul-Siguranța Ta and Siguranța copiilor. Community safety councils also support local prevention: 862 councils with 18,486 members recorded 1,015 resident surveys and 364 local safety issues in the first quarter of 2026. Police, schools, local councils and public campaigns are the main prevention channels. Crime reporting is established nationally, but response can differ by territorial unit, urgency, language, disability and victim vulnerability. A separate enforcement process for Transnistria was not established in the reviewed information. General compensation for crime victims remains under legal review, so availability and eligibility should not be assumed. Criminal-law analysis belongs to a separate legal topic; this information focuses on prevention, reporting, police contact, victim support and safer everyday decisions.
Crime in Moldova
Crime in Moldova includes theft, fraud, road offences, drug offences, domestic violence, trafficking, cybercrime and public-order violence. BNS recorded about 23,100 offences in 2025, while the Inspectoratul General al Poliției (IGP) recorded 4,600 offences in the first quarter of 2026; the figures use different coverage and registers. Immediate danger or a crime in progress should be reported through Serviciul 112, which is free and available nationwide around the clock.
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