The investigation into the murder in Chair is ongoing; authorities are clarifying circumstances regarding one of the two suspects—including why the individual was at liberty at the time the crime was committed, Macedonian Minister of Interior Panche Toshkovski said Wednesday.
Responding to a question about whether citizens are safe, Toshkovski noted that the security situation should be assessed based on concrete data and comparisons, rather than just individual incidents.
“The question of whether Macedonian citizens are safe is legitimate. I can confidently say yes, though it remains a complex issue. We cannot interpret it in isolation from the figures, statistics, and reality,” Toshkovski said.
According to the data he presented, the period from January to August 2026 saw a drop in several categories of serious crimes compared to the same period last year.
The number of murders dropped from 19 to 12, a decrease of approximately 37 percent. The number of registered perpetrators fell from 26 to 13, while the number of victims dropped from 20 to 12, representing a decrease of about 40 percent. A significant reduction, approximately 65 percent, was recorded in attempted murders.
