Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic commended a legislative solution under which minor criminal acts were treated as misdemeanors, resulting in a considerable decline in charges pressed in 2012.
He said property offences and homicide remained at the levels of previous years and that in terms of murders, Croatia was among the safer countries in Europe.
The number of dismissed charges declined last year, 51 per cent of the cases resulted in direct indictments, judges considered 6,126 indictments, returning 135 for amendment and dismissing only 21.
"Prosecutors withdrew only 61 indictments, which is negligible if we compare this figure to the 17,822 direct indictments," said Bajic.
He warned that the public had still not recognised settlement as a good and fair institute, resulting in only 567 judgments handed down based on settlement.
He also complained about the public perception of partial immunity, saying it was granted in only six or seven cases in the last four years.