Surrey RCMP crime stats covering the first three months of this year indicate a 24 per cent decrease in recorded violent crimes compared to the same period last year.
All told, the Surrey RCMP reported an 18 per cent decrease in Criminal Code offences.
The quarterly crime stat report draws on data from B.C.’s Police Records Information Management Environment (PRIME), and according to police represents a “snapshot” in time that is subject to change.
Last year, Surrey recorded 1,654 violent crimes in 2016’s first quarter compared to 1,256 this year. All told, comparing the two periods, attempted murder has decreased by 88 per cent, from eight cases to one; robbery decreased by 53 per cent, from 115 robberies to 54; assaults dropped by 23 per cent, from 796 cases to 613, and abductions and kidnappings decreased by 19 per cent from 16 cases to 13.
Concerning violent crimes, sexual offences broke the trend, increasing by 17 per cent from 83 to 97 cases. So did homicides, with four in the first quarter of 2017 and two in the first quarter of 2016, for an increase of 100 per cent.
Sergeant Alanna Dunlop attributed part of the general decrease in violent crime between the two periods to the work the Surrey Outreach Team has done in Whalley, particularly along troubled 135A Street.
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Property-related crimes also dropped by seven per cent, all told, and Dunlop attributes a good part of that success to targeting prolific offenders, crime trend analysis and generally “getting ahead of it.”
Business break-ins increased by 21 per cent, auto theft increased by one per cent and the number of fraud cases increased by eight per cent. All other property crime categories were in the negative: Residential breaks were down 29 per cent, the total number of break-ins dropped by 16 per cent, theft from autos decreased by six per cent, theft over $5,000 decreased by 35 per cent, theft under $5,000 decreased by 13 per cent, shoplifting was down 12 per cent, stolen property cases down by eight per cent, recorded arson cases down 17 per cent and reports of mischief, down by seven per cent.
For other Criminal Code offences, recorded weapons offences decreased by 37 per cent, causing a disturbance, down 51 per cent and there was also a 10 per cent decrease in breach-of-bail cases.
As far as illegal drugs go, the Surrey RCMP reported, covering the first three months of this year to the same period last year, a 29 per cent decrease in cocaine possession offences, a 50 per cent drop in illegal marijuana production and an eight per cent decrease in cases involving marijuana possession.
