The low trust of Bulgarian citizens in the police has a direct impact on the level of reporting of incidents by victims of crime. At the same time, low levels of reporting pose a systemic problem, as they hamper effective investigation and justice, which increases the risk of an increase in conventional crime.

On 15 December 2021 the Center for the Study of Democracy presented a report with recommendations on "Conventional crime and trust in police". The event was attended by the Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior, Chief Comm. Stoyan Temelakiev, Director of the General Directorate of the National Police, Chief Comm. Stanimir Stanev, and the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria Mr. Ivan Geshev.

According to experts from the Center, the main challenges for institutions regarding the registration of crimes are related to the lack of feedback on the investigation, lack of accountability and transparency of local structures of the Ministry of Interior and insufficient measures to encourage citizens to report crimes.

The presentation focused on the proposals of the Center's experts related to improving the security environment and inter-institutional cooperation, mechanisms for crime prevention and achieving a positive change in citizens' attitudes.