Surrey crime stats so far this year mirror 2017's numbers

The percentage of Criminal Code offences recorded in Surrey in the first nine months of 2018 has not changed compared with the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Surrey RCMP on Wednesday.

Between January and September 2018 Surrey recorded 32,379 Criminal Code offences, and 32,477 over the same period last year.

According to the RCMP’s most recent statistics, in the first nine months of 2018 there were 4,266 violent crimes, nine homicides, nine attempted murders, 193 robberies, 267 sexual assaults, 2,207 assaults, 48 kidnappings and 20,259 property related crimes in Surrey. There were also 7,854 in other Criminal Code offences, such as breaching court orders, bail violations, causing a disturbance and weapons offences.

Comparatively, in the first nine months of 2017 in Surrey there were 4,263 violent crimes, 10 homicides, nine attempted murders, 250 robberies, 284 sex offences, 2,226 assaults, 51 kidnappings and 22,319 property related crimes. There were also 5,865 in other Criminal Code offences, such as breaching court orders, bail violations, causing a disturbance and weapons offences.

Our third quarter (Q3) stats are now posted online. There has been a 7% â¬‡ï¸ in violent crime and 16% â¬‡ï¸in property crime in Q3. More info: https://t.co/GwxnNM5pgI pic.twitter.com/UHlueSRXEI

— Surrey RCMP (@SurreyRCMP) November 7, 2018

The RCMP breaks its crime statistics up in quarterly reports. A comparison between the spring and summer of this year shows some relatively immediate improvement.

The statistics for the third quarter of 2018 — July, August and September — indicate there were 10,249 Criminal Code Offences in Surrey during that period, with 1,408 violent crimes among them, including two homicides, two attempted murders, 61 robberies, 81 sexual offences, 761 assaults, 15 kidnappings and 6,422 property related crimes, as well as 2,419 other Criminal Code offences.

Comparatively, the statistics for the second quarter of 2018 — the three months preceding the third quarter — record 11,595 total Criminal Code offences in April, May and June, with 1,491 violent crimes including four homicides, four attempted murders, 65 robberies, 122 sexual offences, 756 assaults and 13 kidnappings. The stats also show 6,797 property crimes and 3,307 other Criminal Code offences for that period.

Meantime, on Wednesday the Surrey RCMP issued a press release focusing on a comparison of this year’s third quarter statistics with last year’s third quarter statistics, indicating a dramatic decrease in crime when comparing July, August and September 2018 with July, August and September 2017.

The third quarter crime stats for 2017 indicate there were 11,263 Criminal Code offences over those three months, with 1,507 violent crimes including six homicides, six attempted murders, 115 robberies, 88 sexual offences, 839 assaults, 17 kidnappings, 7,641 property crimes and 2,115 other Criminal Code offences.

“The most recent crime statistics for Surrey show decreases in overall Criminal Code offences (-9%), violent crime (-7%) and property crime (-16%),” the RCMP release states. “These decreases are reflective of the general decline in crime the City of Surrey has experienced over the past ten years, both by volume and rate.”

According to the RCMP stats charts, the nine per cent decrease is arrived at by comparing the third quarter of 2018 with the third quarter of 2017, whereas when comparing the first three quarters of 2018 with the same period in 2017, the stats indicate a “0%” movement.

Moreover, the seven per cent decline in violent crime relates to the third quarter 2018 compared to third quarter 2017, but again comparing the first three quarters of 2018 with the same period in 2017, the stats indicate “0%” movement. The 16 per cent decrease in property crime is based on comparing the third quarter of 2018 to the third quarter of 2017. But comparing the first three quarters of 2018 with the same period in 2017, there’s a decrease of nine per cent.

“We are pleased to see crime on a downward trend in Surrey,” Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, in charge of the Surrey RCMP. “These shorter term quarterly crime stats help us identify emerging issues and deploy resources accordingly, while the longer term crime trends allow us to see if we are being effective in changing the overall trajectory of crime in Surrey by utilizing enforcement as well as prevention and intervention to address the root causes of crime.”

The RCMP release notes Surrey’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) has “generally been trending downward” since 2008.

McDonald said, “We still have work to do in Surrey to further improve public safety,” adding “together with community partners, residents and business owners, we are making headway and will continue to do so to ensure everyone feels a strong sense of safety where they live, work and play.”