SURREY — Surrey saw a 13 per cent decrease in violent crime in the first three quarters of this year — and a five per cent decrease in all crime — when compared with the same period last year, according to the latest RCMP stats.
The statistical differences reflect changes in the first three quarters of this year compared to the first three quarters of 2015.
The Surrey RCMP recorded 4,807 violent crimes so far this year compared to 5,518 in the same period last year, a decrease in attempted murders from 24 to 18, the same number of homicides —eight — and a 38 per cent decrease in robberies (313 from 503).
Of property crimes, business break-ins dropped 21 per cent (742 from 938) while the number of residential break-ins increased by 12 per cent, to 1,748 from 1,559.
While the number of auto thefts in Surrey dropped by seven per cent, from 2,563 to 2,386, the number of thefts from vehicles increased by 22 per cent, to 6,850 crimes from 5,623.
According to the RCMP, weapons offences dropped by 30 per cent in the first three quarters of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015 (325 in 2015 to 228 in 2016).
The one category that leaps from the page is crimes related to prostitution, which increased by 119 per cent. To put that into perspective, the police reported 35 cases this year compared to 16 for the same period in 2015.
All told, the stats indicate a five per cent decrease in all criminal code offences in the first three quarters of 2016 in Surrey compared to the same period last year. That’s 36,316 crimes so far this year, compared to 38,309.
tom.zytaruk@thenownewspaper.com
