In the midst of a major spike in violent crime and attacks between Albanian drug gangs in the capital Skopje, Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski came out with a claim that crime is actually going down.

We have a satisfied police force, safe citizens, police salaries are up by 50 EUR gross. Safety does not come down to one person, we are all safety, Spasovski said.

He points out to statistical data claiming that crime has gone down in the first two months of 2023 compared to 2022. But his comment does not reflect on the recent mafia style assassination of two Albanian drug lords in the capital, or yesterday’s murder of a man from the Albanian mafia base of Aracinovo in downtown Skopje.