BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 5. Crime in Kazakhstan fell by 15% in the first nine months of 2026, with more than 11,000 fewer offenses recorded compared with the same period last year, Kazakhstan’s Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov said during a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, according to the presidential press service.
Sadenov noted that the decline was recorded across the most serious types of crime, as well as offenses committed in public places and on streets, in the family and domestic sphere, and among minors and previously convicted persons.
More than 2,500 crimes committed in previous years have also been solved since the beginning of the year. Modern forensic tools, including DNA testing, are helping identify suspects in crimes dating back many years, Sadenov said.
According to the minister, reports from citizens, volunteers and public assistants have helped prevent more than 12,000 administrative offenses and solve 357 crimes since the beginning of the year.
Cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies has also helped locate 1,039 wanted persons. Of these, 154 were detained outside Kazakhstan, while 537 persons wanted by foreign countries were identified and detained in Kazakhstan.
Sadenov also reported that 49 billion tenge (about $111 million) has been recovered in criminal cases investigated by the Interior Ministry since the beginning of the year, up 22.5% year on year.
Of this amount, more than 6.5 billion tenge ($14.7 million) was returned to victims of internet fraud. The number of such crimes fell by 21%. Authorities blocked 8,700 fraudulent and phishing websites and prevented 187 million fraudulent calls.
Digital security measures are also being expanded. Video surveillance systems helped identify and detain more than 2,200 people, while road safety measures contributed to a 5% decline in traffic accidents. The number of people killed in road accidents fell by 16%, while the number injured decreased by 7%.
Following the meeting, Tokayev gave a number of instructions aimed at further improving law and order and public safety in the country.
