By battlefordsNOW Staff

RCMP see increase in break and enters across the Battlefords

Oct 22, 2016 | 8:00 AM

The Battlefords RCMP saw an increase in break and enter offences this year.

In the City of North Battleford there have been 129 break-ins to residences so far this year, compared to 106 in the same period in 2015. Break-ins to businesses also saw an increase, from 36 to 54 over the same period.

The Town of Battleford saw an increase in break-ins as well, as there were 23 residences broken into from July to September this year, compared to seven in the same period last year.

Insp. John Sutherland of the Battlefords RCMP said in a presentation to town council that 48 per cent of break-ins in Battleford were into unlocked garages.

Another significant increase in Battleford crime was in property offences, which saw an increase from 199 last year to 303 this year in the period from July to September.

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Sutherland noted that a majority of stolen vehicles were left unlocked, often with a key inside the vehicle. He advised residents to always lock their cars and not leave keys inside. A majority of thefts from vehicles also involved cars that were left unlocked.  

Car collisions and traffic offences, on the other hand, have decreased so far this year in both Battleford and North Battleford.

As crime rates increase across the country, Sutherland said it’s common to see more crime in a bad economy. He also pointed to more people reporting crimes to RCMP as a possible reason for the increases.

Sutherland noted that with fairly small numbers overall, particularly in Battleford, just a couple more incidents can look like a huge increase, so it’s important to consider that when looking at statistics.

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