Sayad Shirinyan, Head of the RoA Police Department’s Public Affairs Division, today told reporters that the number of crimes registered in the country during the first nine months of 2009 jumped a whopping 57% over the same period last year. Mr. Shirinyan announced that the number of crimes registered in Armenia from January 1 till September 30 was 3,894.  He added that 1,332 individuals sought by the police had been apprehended and that 342 out of 398 corruption cases had been solved. The police official stated that 12 cases of human trafficking for prostitution purposes were also uncovered. When asked by reporters if he had figures as to how many public protests had been broken up by the police heavy handedness, Mr. Shirinyan argued that the question itself was a provocation. “What do you mean by statistics of police excesses? The police always perform their duties within the confines of the law.”