The number of criminal investigations in Japan hit a record-high 2.74 million in 2001, up 12 percent from the year before, while the resolution rate fell to a record-low 19.8 percent, down 3.8 percentage points, according to a National Police Agency survey released Monday.

This is the first time the annual solution rate has fallen below 20 percent since the end of World War II, the NPA said.

The solution rate fell in every category of serious crime, including murder and robbery. The rate also fell for other categories including serious thefts such as burglary and bag-snatching, but not auto theft.

Alarmed by the decline, the NPA said it has decided to increase the number of police officers by 10,000 over three years to ensure safety in the country.

According to the survey, the number of criminal cases solved was 542,115, down 6 percent from the year before, while the number of people arrested or questioned was 325,292, up 5.1 percent. Suspects can be counted more than once in the data, depending upon who has jurisdiction of the investigation.

Serious crimes numbered 21,530, up 17.8 percent, while the solution rate for them was 53 percent, down 7.4 points. Among serious crimes, robberies rose to 6,393 cases, up 23.6 percent, while the percentage solved dropped to 48.7, down 8.2 points.

There were 443,502 serious thefts, up 4.8 percent, while the solution rate was 27.1 percent, down 6.1 points. Auto thefts and bag-snatching rose significantly, the survey says.

Solved cases involving foreigners dropped by 20.7 percent, but the success rate for serious crimes involving foreigners jumped by 27.3 percent.