Calls for policing within the Town of Comox have increased slightly from 2019, according to a report by the Comox Valley RCMP inspector.
During the May 5 Comox council meeting, RCMP Insp. Mike Kurvers told council during his quarterly police report between Jan. 1 2019 to December 2019, the detachment logged 2,708 calls for service; in 2020, the number increased to 2,806.
While traffic calls remained similar to the previous year, break and enters within the town increased from 2019 to 2020. In 2019, there were 55 files in Comox and one year later the number increased to 78.
“It’s significant and we take it very seriously and try and investigate as best as we can,” Kurvers said.
He noted theft from motor vehicles has decreased significantly in the past year; in 2019, RCMP recorded 139 cases while in 2020, there were 62. Kurvers attributed this to certain individuals who have either moved out of the area or were dealt with by police actions.
While assaults have remained at around the same level both years, sexual assaults and cases of domestic violence have both increased year over year.
He noted the detachment does have a dedicated investigator for domestic files. In 2019, the detachment had 51 files; in 2020 that number increased to 64.
Traffic violations are seeing some of the largest increases for the detachment. Kurvers explained in the last quarter alone, there have been 113 contacts with individuals – either tickets or notices that were issued throughout the past three months.
“That’s a lot – (it’s for) speeding in school zones, speeding, no insurance,” he added.
Primarily, the areas where police are ticketing drivers are Pritchard, Aspen, Knight and Lerwick roads and Noel Avenue.
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