The crime rate in Williams Lake continues to drop, say the RCMP.
On Tuesday night Staff Sgt. Warren Brown presented council with statistics for the first quarter of 2011.
Compared to the first quarter of 2010, according to the report, theft of auto over $5,000 has been reduced by 300 per cent; theft of auto under is down by 90 per cent; theft of truck over is down by 33 per cent; and theft of truck under is down by 82 per cent.
Break and enter of residences has decreased by 13 per cent and break and enter of business has dropped by 67 per cent.
Spousal assaults have decreased by 52 per cent; mischief under by 10 per cent and false alarms have decreased by nine per cent.
The only category to experience an increase was robbery; in the first quarter of 2011 there were five reported robberies and, in 2010, there were four.
Overall the calls for service were also down by 19 per cent.
Brown explained the detachment’s 2011 priorities to be safer youth, building relationships with aboriginal communities, enhancing crime reduction and traffic and road safety.
He also updated council on policing programs noting that an RCMP member has been taken off road duties to focus on gang awareness, and the ongoing work to establish a grow-op committee, to “identify gaps in legislation and make the area less inviting.”
Community Policing is hoping to expand some of its programming with a new business services feature and the creation of a rural crime watch.
Brown further told council four RCMP members from the local detachment will participate in the Cops for Cancer bike ride this year.
Following his report, Brown presented the mayor with a plaque from the BCCPA Northern Crime Prevention Symposiuim in Prince George recently that acknowledged the city’s efforts to combat crime.
