ACCORDING TO THE NATURE OF LATENCY, I.E., CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH HINDER DISCOVERY, CERTAIN KINDS OF CRIME ARE MORE LIKELY THAN OTHERS TO REMAIN UNNOTICED: IN BOTH CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY AND AGAINST INDIVIDUALS, THE DEGREE OF CHANGE IN THE IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT DETERMINES BOTH THE LATENCY OF THE CRIME AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE OFFENDER CAN COVER IT UP. ATTACKS ON PERSONS TEND TO GO UNREPORTED FOR SUBJECTIVE REASONS, WHILE ATTACKS ON OBJECTS FREQUENTLY REMAIN UNDISCLOSED FOR OBJECTIVE REASONS. AMONG THE OBJECTIVE FACTORS AFFECTING DISCOVERY IS THE LATENCY AREA, I.E., CONFORMANCE OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES TO SPECIFIC ECONOMIC, TECHNOLOGICAL, AND STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS IN CERTAIN SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY, ESPECIALLY TRUE OF CRIMES AGAINST SOCIALIST PROPERTY. IN THE CASE OF THEFT, THE MOBILITY OF PARTICULAR OBJECTS, TRANSPORTATION CONDITIONS OF GOODS, WEAKNESSES IN ECONOMIC STRUCTURE AND REGULATORY TECHNIQUES, AND CRIMINAL METHODS ARE ALSO SIGNIFICANT FACTORS. SHORTENING LATENCY TIME, I.E., THE PERIOD FROM THE TIME THAT THE CRIME COMMISSION IS COMMITTED TO ITS DISCOVERY, IS ONLY POSSIBLE WHEN ALL THESE VARIABLES ARE CONSIDERED. ECONOMIC CRIMES ARE CHARACTERIZED BY FREQUENT AND LONG LATENCY BECAUSE THEY INVOLVE LITTLE VISIBLE EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT; THE TWO CLASSICAL TYPES ARE FORGERY CAUSING DAMAGES TO SOCIALIST PROPERTY AND NUMERICAL MANIPULATIONS IN BOOKKEEPING AND STATISTICS ALSO RESULTING IN DAMAGES TO SOCIALIST PROPERTY. A BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDING - IN GERMAN. (KMD)