Crime and car crashes were down overall in the second quarter of 2019, though persons offences such as assaults and arsons have gone up since last year.
According to quarterly crime statistics released by the Delta Police Department, collisions were down by 16 per cent compared to the first part of the year — 259 from 310 — and 10 per cent compared to the same period in 2018.
Traffic violation tickets were slightly down as well, with 2,750 handed out during the second quarter of 2019 compared to 2,974 issued in the first quarter.
“Road safety is one of the highest priorities for Delta Police, as it affects so many in our community,” DPD Chief Neil Dubord said in a press release. “Our officers are making a concerted effort particularly as pertains to speeders and impaired drivers, and I’m very pleased with this result.”
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Residential and commercial break-and-enters were both down in the second quarter. There were 47 residential break-and-enters reported to police, down from 54 in the first three months of 2019 and 55 during the second quarter of 2018. Meanwhile, there were 30 commercial break-and-enters reported in Q2, down from 43 in Q1.
“We’ve worked hard on a number of initiatives with businesses this year to help reduce incidences of thefts, whether that be a program to reduce battery theft, or increasing our outreach to businesses to assist them in improving security on site. It appears this is having some success,” Dubord said.
He noted that residents and business owners with security cameras can head to deltapolice.ca/cwp to register for the DPD’s Community Watch Program. The program creates a database which helps police know who might have video footage that could help solve a crime. (Register by Aug. 31 for a chance to win an iPad.)
READ MORE: Video database offers way for public to assist Delta police
Thefts from auto are down 13 per cent from the first quarter, with 177 instances in Q2 compared to 205 in Q1. The stats are also down 11.5 per cent compared to the second quarter last year.
Persons offences continue to increase in Delta, a trend police have seen since 2018. There were 247 instances in the second quarter of 2019, up from 222 in the first quarter and 219 during the same time last year. Persons offences include crimes such as assault, sexual assault, arson and robbery.
Police note the majority of persons offences continue to involve individuals known to each other, including those in a familial or partner relationship. This category of offences also includes assaults on loss prevention officers in stores, road rage incidents and assaults on medical professionals. There has not been an increase in stranger assaults, and gang-related violence is uncommon in Delta.
Delta police adjusted its 2018 statistics to retroactively incorporate new rules from Statistics Canada for all police agencies in regards to reporting on offences categorized previously as unfounded. The updated statistics now include offences where there is no credible evidence to confirm the incident did not take place.
Past quarterly crime stats are available online at deltapolice.castats, along with an updated crime map.
RELATED: Violent crime in Delta up, overall crime severity index holds steady
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