BARRHEAD – Barrhead RCMP Sgt. Bob Dodds had some mixed news for County of Barrhead councillors.
On the negative side, he told County of Barrhead councillors during their Feb. 7 meeting that “person crimes” in the final quarter of 2022 was on the rise.
However, according to 'K Division Statistics for October to December, property crime when compared the same period was at a five year low.
"It is interesting. Our persons crime is increasing, while our property offences are virtually non-existent compared to years past," he said.
On the person crime side, for the fourth quarter of 2022, the number of such offences reported to the Barrhead detachment increased by 38 per cent compared to 2021 and was the second highest in five years at 47 complaints. The highest was in 2019 at 62, compared to the five-year low in 2018 at 30, with 32 and 34 person crimes reported in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
He noted that part of what drove the spike for the fourth quarter spike in 2022 was the number of sexual assaults and other offences at nine (four sexual assaults and five other sexual offences) compared to only one in 2021.
Criminal harassment was the other category that saw a comparatively large increase compared to 2021, with eight offences reported compared to two the previous year, six in 2018 and 2019, and five in 2020.
In other person crime categories, as usual, assault led the way at 22, which tied for the second-highest in five years. The most assaults recorded in the last five years occurred in 2018 at 27, compared to 10 in 2019 and 15 in 2020.
After some investigation, Dodds learned that the nine offences occurred over seven different files.
"In these types of cases, sometimes a person is charged with (multiple offences) which happened in at least one in one case," he said.
Dodds also noted that in sexual offence cases, the offender is often a member of one's family or household.
"Two files involved support workers for a person in care. One was unfounded, and the other was so trivial that it was probably a misunderstanding," he said. "The point, as I have always said, Barrhead is a safe community, and the numbers show that."
On the property crime side, there were 84 total complaints, with theft under $5,000 being the most populist category at 18, followed by break and enters and mischief at 18 and 17, respectively. Fraud, motor vehicle theft, arson and theft over $5,000, along with the "other mischief" category, make up the rear with eight, six, three, and two and two, respectively.
When combined, according to 'K' Division statistics, the number of total criminal code offences for the fourth quarter of 2022 sits at 163, which is the lowest by a fair margin in the last five years. From 2018 to 2022, the overall number of criminal files has decreased by 41 per cent going from a high of 275.
Again Dodds said he could not explain the decrease, except for the fact that the RCMP had taken a couple of the area's "high-flyer drug dealers" off the map and into custody and are awaiting trial.
"That is a big win for a unit our size, and it is unusual to see them held in custody," he said. "That speaks to the amount and repetition of the offences they've been committing because it is hard to hold people in custody these days, and they are not likely to get out any time soon."
Dodds said one of the individuals is looking at a potential sentence of three to four years in prison.
Coun. Walter Preugschas asked if the two traffickers were involved in any other criminal activity, especially property crime.
Dodds replied he did not believe so, but having them off the street was probably having a trickle-down effect.
"It is a little early to know for sure," he said. "But the people who buy their drugs from these individuals are the ones who are stealing to pay for their habit. If we could push drugs out of the community, then property offences would certainly dry up."
Reeve Doug Drozd asked if anyone had stepped in to fill the void these two drug dealers left.
Dodds agreed that is often the case.
"The reason those two were at the top was they were the smartest, most connected drug dealers, and anyone stepping into that void would take time to get to that level. That gives us a better opportunity to get in there," he said. "We always have a decent idea of who is dealing what in the community, and we are working on them already."
