People in Salmon Arm assaulted each other less in 2010 than in 2009, while they broke into more vehicles.
Staff Sgt. Kevin Keane presented a year-end review Jan. 17 to council, which received accolades.
Overall, person crimes, as they’re called, were down, with assaults, in particular, decreasing by 29 per cent, he said. Common assaults went from 186 in 2009 to 132 in 2010, while assaults with a weapon were up from 36 to 51.
Keane said most assaults happen behind closed doors so police can’t usually prevent them, but he did say alcohol and drugs are often a factor.
“The detachment has a low tolerance towards these issues.”
In keeping with the priorities listed by city council last year, Keane explained that drug offences in Salmon Arm were up, going from 116 in 2009 to 217 in 2010. He said while the statistics may seem counter-intuitive, they are positive in that they are generated by police.
“People don’t usually call up and say I have a vial of meth down my shorts,” he explained.
This past year in Salmon Arm saw: 108 marijuana possession offences, up from 49 in 2009; 20 marijuana trafficking compared to 12; 36 marijuana cultivation compared to 14 in 2009; and 28 cocaine/heroin trafficking offences compared to 12 in 2009.
Keane said the increase in property crime is related to drugs, stating that “property crime is drug crime.” He gave an example from last summer when police were executing a search warrant on a local drug house. A woman came up to a plainclothes officer and attempted to trade a stolen iPod for crack cocaine.
Overall, property crime increased by nine per cent in 2010, a statistic that pales in comparison to other areas, he said.
With the help of a bait car, a few individuals who were breaking into vehicles in the summer were arrested and the thefts dropped off. Keane said the detachment, with its prolific offender program, has also been requesting curfews as part of bail conditions, with 16 people currently under curfews that police continuously check.
In keeping with council’s priority of traffic enforcement, Keane said police re-instituted the designated municipal traffic position. Overall, traffic enforcement increased 60 per cent over 2009, with 3,359 traffic stops in 2010 compared to 2,105 in 2009.
Police addressed another priority for council, youth issues, through initiatives including sports coaching and school liaisons.
Keane said five officers are now coaching soccer, rugby and hockey, plus two ski trips have been arranged in conjunction with area schools.
Both Couns. Alan Harrison and Ken Jamieson, who work in local schools, commended police on the school liason officers.
“It’s a good use of time,” said Harrison. “The school liaison officer is 1,000 per cent improved over past years.”
Jamieson said the officers draw a lot of attention at Shuswap Middle School.
He noticed when they dropped into a class informally, 15 minutes of “teachable moments” resulted with the students asking lots of questions.
Coun. Ivan Idzan asked about the ongoing request to increase the complement of five provincially funded police officers who join the 19 city-funded officers. Keane said he’s been told there will be no increases for the next two years.
Idzan said next time council members meet with the solicitor general, they will lobby for more than five officers, a number that’s remained the same for years.
Coun. Kevin Flynn said he appreciated the more detailed report Keane provided this year and suggested council receive one quarterly, noting policing is the city’s biggest budget item.
