N.B. crime numbers down overall

Mayor Ryan Bater said he is pleased to see some improvement in the crime count.

“It’s encouraging, but the staff sergeant was cautious that crime is cyclical and can fluctuate, so those numbers may increase by the end of the year,” Bater said following council Monday.

“We’re grateful for the additional resources in the area from the crime reduction team,” he added. “We look forward to their ongoing efforts.”

Total calls for service for the year-to-date came in at just under 10,000 in 2018, compared to 10,430 for the same time last year. For July to September, the RCMP responded to 4,880 reports, also a drop from the 5,156 calls for service for the same period last year.

Residential break and enters came in at 138 for the year to date, down from 149 for the same period last year. For the third quarter, however, numbers in this category were up a little, at 78 for 2018, compared to 63 for the period last year.

Business B&Es up

Business break and enters saw an increase, at 49 for the year to date, compared to 35 last year. The third-quarter results amounted to 33 for July to September, an increase from the 18 reports last year for this period.

Crimes against persons, such as robbery and assaults, were lower in all categories, with 908 for the year-to-date amount, and 982 for the same time last year. For the third quarter, the tally was 383 for the third quarter, compared to 465 for this period last year.

Property offences such as theft and possession of stolen goods, saw mixed results. The year to date number was up, at 2,487 in 2018, compared to 2,139 for that time last year. The third quarter amount was lower however, at 937 for this year, compared to 1,153 last year for the period.

Drug offences were down for the year to date at 149 in 2018, compared to 150 last year. For the third quarter, the amount was also down at 56 for the 2018 period, compared to 69 for the same time last year.

Fewer crashes

Vehicle collisions were lower in both categories as a positive sign. The tally was 186 for the 2018 year to date, compared to 198 last year. The third quarter came in at 75 reports for this year, lower than the 87 reports last year.

There was a little good news when looking at the impaired driving results, since numbers were down in both categories. For the year to date, the tally was 148, compared to 181 last year. The third quarter amounted to 71 reports, an improvement from the 80 reports last year for the period.

There were 121 missing persons reported for the year to date, less than last year when the count was 207 for the period. For the third quarter, the tally was 52, lower than last year when the reported number reached 88.

Provincial traffic offences were up slightly and amounted to 722 for the year-to-date, compared to 721 last year. Similarly, the third quarter came in at 330 reports, compared to 306 in 2017.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW

by Angela Brown

N.B. crime numbers down overall

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