According to the latest crime statistics, crime has gone down in Williams Lake in many areas but is on the increase in others.
“I received the crime stats from the RCMP today and we are way up in theft from vehicles,” Mayor Walt Cobb said during the regular council meeting. “I encourage everyone to keep their vehicles locked.”
Theft from vehicles has gone up 54 per cent from 2014 with 159 incidents reported to police.
Break and enter business calls for service were up 25 per cent over last year at 36 incidents while mischief under $5,000 increased 11 per cent with 339 calls for service.
Overall, however, the news is positive with theft of vehicle, break and enter residence, spousal assaults, robbery, false alarms and general calls for service all showing reductions from 2014.
More notable decreases in crime are seen across the board when comparing statistics from 2008, which shows for example a 330 per cent reduction in thefts of vehicles over the eight-year period.
The statistics were provided to the mayor by the Williams Lake detachment for the period of Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 2015.
