POLICE STATISTICS ON CRIME ARE DESIGNED TO FURNISH RUNNING INFORMATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICULAR OFFENSES AND THE TYPE OF SUSPECTS INVOLVED AND ASSIST IN CRIME PREVENTION AND REPRESSION, POLICE ORGANIZATION, CRIMINOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, AND POLICY DECISIONS. THE STATISTICS INCLUDE ALL CRIMINAL OFFENSES AND ATTEMPTED OFFENSES (WITH THE EXCLUSION OF MINOR TRAFFIC AND POLITICAL OFFENSES) REPORTED TO THE POLICE IN 1977. A SURVEY SHOWS THE NUMBER OF OVERALL OFFENSES IN NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA, WHICH ARE THEN BROKEN DOWN INTO INDIVIDUAL OFFENSES (VIOLENT CRIMES, DRUG-RELATED CRIMES), REVEALING MAJOR TRENDS OF INCREASING AND DECREASING TYPES OF OFFENSES. NUMEROUS STATISTICAL CHARTS AND MAPS INCLUDE THE CLEARING RATES FOR PARTICULAR OFFENSES, THE NUMBER OF SUSPECTED OFFENDERS, THE OVERALL CRIME RATE IN MAJOR CITIES, AND DEVELOPMENTS IN GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF HIGH CRIME CONCENTRATION. OFFENDER STATISTICS CHARACTERIZE SUSPECTS ACCORDING TO AGE (WITH A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY), PLACE OF RESIDENCE, SEX, AND NATIONALITY. A SECTION DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICULAR OFFENSES IN MAJOR CITIES LISTS THE NUMBERS OF COMMITTED FRAUDS, BLACKMAIL, THEFTS, AND OTHERS. A SPECIAL SECTION CONCENTRATES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF VIOLENT CRIME IN 1977. THE NUMBER OF MISSING PERSONS AND UNIDENTIFIED BODIES IS LISTED. THE STATISTICAL CHARTS OF THE POLICE OF NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA ON WHICH THE PRECEDING CHARTS ARE BASED ARE APPENDED. THREE SPECIAL CHARTS (SUICIDE RATE, NUMBER OF CONVICTED OFFENDERS, NUMBER OF INMATES IN PARTICULAR FACILITIES) ARE ALSO APPENDED. --IN GERMAN. (SAJ)