MOSCOW, January 12 (RIA Novosti) - Prosecutors in Moscow said Thursday the number of violent crimes committed in the capital had risen in 2005.

"Nine hundred and fifty-six murder cases alone were filed in 2005, which is 200 more than in 2004," a spokesman said. In comparison, police in New York and London reported about 515 and 200 murders in their respective cities in 2005.

According to the statistics provided by Moscow's prosecutors, 218,000 crimes were registered in 2005, compared with 205,000 crimes in 2004.

However, the number of crimes solved increased, the spokesman said.

"The crime detection rate increased by 10% and reached 76.8%," he said.