Speaking on ETV current affairs show "Ringvaade" Wednesday evening, Vaher said: "Whereas recently as 15 years ago danger was present in public spaces and you never knew who might jump out from behind the next corner, today the danger is in the home. The upside, when it comes to homes, is that you can at least choose your friends and acquaintances," adding that alcohol plays a role in violent crimes.

At the same time, around half of domestic violence cases go unreported, he added.

Estonia registered a total of 50 manslaughters and murders and attempted murders during 2020, 16 more than the previous year. The number of deaths relating to these crimes was 39, compared with 26 the year before.

On the situation in road traffic, Vaher said that it hasn't improved.

"There used to be years when a change was obvious, both as regards the use of safety equipment and selecting speeds, yet today we continuously see that there are too many of those who sustain an injury.

The arrival of e-scooters had also had its effect on figures, he said.

"As last year we had a winter with very little snow, this brought with it a large number of accidents involving individuals, a large proportion of which involved scooters," Vaher said.

Crime statistics published by the Ministry of Justice show that a total of 25,817 criminal offenses were registered in Estonia during 2020, five percent less than the year before.

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