MOSCOW, February 28 (RAPSI) – In 2017, foreign citizens committed 7% less crimes in Russia while the number of immigrants, who obtain legal permits to work in the country, is growing, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said in his official report on Wednesday.

According to Kolokoltsev, last year, law enforcement officers revealed over 775,000 violations in the sphere of immigration with 69,000 foreigners being deported from Russia. 190,000 foreigners were prohibited from entering the country, and 1,200 cases over organization of unlawful immigration were launched.

The minister also noted that protection of Russian economy becomes an especially relevant topic in the context of unfriendly foreign relations. Law enforcement toughened its stance on embezzlement of state funds, Kolokoltsev said. He added that 30,000 crimes were related to unlawful cashing and transfer of funds abroad. Overall, 76 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) were transferred abroad. Measures were taken to compensate damage by 35 billion rubles ($623.8 billion).

Speaking of corruption crimes, Kolokoltsev said that nearly 30,000 crimes were registered last year with 75% of them being committed by police officers. 13,000 individuals were identified as ones related to these crimes. Damage caused by corruption is estimated at 37.5 billion rubles ($668.4 million). Measures were taken to compensate damage by 26.5 billion rubles ($472.3 billion).