BELGRADE,— Serbia's interior minister says the big freeze which is gripping much of Europe has reduced crime rates in Serbia by some 40 percent.

Ivica Dacic said Wednesday that the country also recorded a day without a single car theft, rare in the Balkan country where crime flourished during the wars and international sanctions in the 1990s'.

The cold weather in Serbia have killed at least 12 people, while 70,000 remain cut off by the snow.

(AP)