Staff Sergeant Phil Harrison said there are categories of crime in Kitimat which are seeing a rising trend, while others slowed down in March.
With the fair weather enjoyed in the community, crimes of opportunity are among those reported for the month.
For instance residential break and enters are at 12 for the year after four in March. That’s approaching half the number which occurred in 2012 at 30.
Mischief to property cases are also on the rise, with 17 in March alone, adding up to 64 for the year. There were 160 in 2012.
“This is one that I wanted to take a look at,” said Harrison about how to deal with the rise in mischief. He said that if the trend in this category continues there will be more than last year.
Noting the “ebb and flow” nature of crime, he was pleased there were some reductions in March.
There were no sexual assault cases reported last month, for instance. There have been five for the year, and last year saw 12 total.
Common assaults however do seem to still be rising. There were nine in March, totalling to 34 for the year. There were 96 last year.
Harrison said that there are times where an investigation opens as an assault, but may, with further review, turn out to be something else, such as a consensual fight, which wouldn’t otherwise be in that category.
There were eight reported threats against a person in March, with 30 for the year in total so far. In 2012 there were 53 cases.
There was one business break and enter in March, adding to the six that were already counted this year. There were eight in all of 2012.
So far this year there have been 11 vehicle thefts. There were 14 in 2012.
The only drug offences filed in March was for two cases of possession of marijuana. The 2013 total now reaches eight, against 28 for all of last year.
There were seven impaired driving files opened in March, adding to the 10 already recorded for the year. In 2012 there were 51 cases.
Harrison said, at the April 15 council meeting where he presented these figures, that when it comes to property crimes, people should always take precautions to protect their homes, even in simple ways like locking doors.
“We don’t live back in the 50s anymore,” he said.
