Property crime up, collisions down in Battleford: RCMP

On the property theft issue, he said residents should follow safe practices.

“If people secure their property and don’t leave things out for crimes of opportunity, ensure their vehicles and garages are locked and there aren’t any valuables left in vehicles, then that would certainly help us, and help the town with that particular part of our crime rate,” said Woolfitt.

Woolfitt also said in his report the Battlefords RCMP are finding much of the crime they encounter throughout the detachment stems from the impact of social issues, such as addictions problems, poverty and housing needs.

The RCMP partners with other agencies to identify the root causes of individuals’ problems so they can access support.

To knock down the statistics tally, Woolfitt said the RCMP work on yearly plans in an effort to reduce crime, and target specific areas to try to make a positive difference in the trends.

Mayor Ames Leslie echoed Woolfitt‘s sentiments following council, saying: when dealing with property offences residents have to be more proactive these days to reduce the risk of their valuables being stolen.

“The world has changed,” he said. “We need to lock down everything we possibly can. We need to remove the crime of opportunity, and these things go away.”

When looking at the statistics for the first quarter period, for property offences 51 were recorded for the current period, slightly more than the 48 reported for the same time last year.

Break and enters were up. Businesses saw four reports for the current quarter, versus one for the same period in 2018. Residences had five reports, up slightly from three for the same time last year.

Woolfitt mentioned one of the business break and enter reports involving the post office in Battleford is still being investigated by the RCMP forensic team.

“We’re hoping we may get an opportunity to identify a suspect as a result of that work,” he said.

Crimes against persons also experienced an increase, with 24 reports from January to March compared to 22 reports for the same period in 2018.

Criminal code offences reached 26 for the first quarter, an increase from the 20 reported for the period last year.

On the positive side, drug offences were down slightly, with two for the current period, versus three for the same time last year.

Impaired driving reports were down a little, showing five for the 2019 period, compared to six last year.

Vehicle collisions decreased significantly in 2019, with four reported for the current period, a drop by two-thirds compared to 12 for the same time last year.

Provincial traffic offences were down, with 15 recorded for the current quarter, versus 29 last year.

False alarms saw a big decline also, with 21 reported from January to March, compared to 41 for the same period in 2018.

More town halls:

The RCMP plan to hold a public town hall meeting in Denholm on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Denholm Community Hall. Residents will have a chance to ask questions and learn more about some of the projects the RCMP are working on as well.

The RCMP will also have a town hall meeting in Battleford at a future date still to be announced.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

by Angela Brown

Property crime up, collisions down in Battleford: RCMP

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