BARRHEAD- Once again, Barrhead RCMP Detachment commander Sgt. Bob Dodds had good news to report to County of Barrhead councillors.
In 2020, the number of property crimes reported in the detachment area is at a five-year low, according to RCMP K Division statistics. And to add to the good news, for the start of 2021 the trend seems to be holding.
The detachment area consists of the Barrhead municipalities, portions of Woodlands County (most notably Fort Assiniboine) and a corner of Lac Ste. Anne County.
"The numbers are down almost right across the board," he said, during his Feb. 2 quarterly update.
Overall the detachment responded to 570 property crimes, which is a seven per cent drop in the five-year average and a 20 per cent drop from 2019.
The most-reported property crime was theft under $5,000 at 179, a 26 per cent drop compared to the previous year at 242. The next most reported category was 125 down from 138 in 2019.
Motor vehicle theft was the next most populous category at 75, a seven per cent drop from 2019 with 81 reported.
Mischief to property, possession of stolen goods, fraud, theft over $5,000 and arson were the next most reported categories at 63, 59, 20 and 11, respectively.
Unfortunately, Dodds could not say the same thing when it comes to person crime (crimes perpetrators commit directly against other people, i.e. assault).
In 2020, the majority of person crimes saw a marked increase from the previous year.
In total, the detachment received 188 person crime complaints, up from 177 in 2019. However, although that is a six per cent increase, the number of person crime files in 2020 is still the second-lowest in five years, with 2016 and 2017 reporting 218 and 2019, respectively.
Among the most noticeable increases are the number of sexual assaults and other sex-related offences at 16 and 11, compared to eight and seven in 2019.
"It is a concern because you never want to see these offences, but it is also positive that people are coming forward, " Dodds said, adding the increase has caught the attention of ‘K’ Division, and as a result, the local detachment has access to added resources.
He is also confident the increase is not due to a sexual predator running loose in the area.
"We have identified the perpetrators in all these cases and we are pursuing charges," Dodds said.
Other notable person crime increases include assault at 89, up from 78 in 201 and, uttering threats at 25, up from 28 the previous year.
However, not all person crime categories increased. The number of reported robberies held steady at six, while the number of criminal harassment, extortion and kidnapping/hostage/abduction files decreased going from 37, six and six to 17, one and three respectively.
Dodds attributed much of the change in property and person crimes to the pandemic.
In the case of property crime, he said more people are staying home and therefore there is less of an opportunity for criminals to snatch or destroy property.
Dodds said for person crimes, COVID-19 is having the opposite in that by being cooped up people are getting "testy" and are lashing out. Fortunately, he said, the majority of the incidents are of the less serious nature, using the example of a person pushing a someone "mouthing-off".
"COVID is also playing a role in the number of Mental Health Act incidents we have to attend," he said.
In 2020, the number of Mental Health Act files increased from 93 to 123, a five-year high. In nine of those cases, an RCMP member had to accompany an individual to Edmonton for a mental health evaluation.
"That takes a lot of hours, where a member is not in the community," Dodds said, adding the actual number is higher as K-Divison did not track the statistic from the start of 2020.
Another statistic that is misleading is the number of failing to comply with conditions and breaches. In 2020, there were 99 files compared to 137 in 2019.
This reason for the decrease, Dodds said, is that members are purposely doing fewer condition checks.
"I did a study of the [failing to comply with conditions] charges for 2019 and half of them were either withdrawn or had a stay of proceedings. The number is even higher when it comes to failure to attend [a court proceeding], I think it is something like 90 per cent," he said. "I have to weigh that with the risk to our members when they knock on someone's door at midnight to do a curfew check to ensure they are where they are supposed to be. It is always a risk and when you add in COVID, it is not a risk I'm willing to accept."
Dodds added he has noticed a change in public perception about the police. In the past, especially on social media, there were members of the public who believed police were either incompetent or lazy in the light of increasing crime statistics.
"The public recognizes that the police are doing everything that they can and people are being arrested and charged, we are just not seeing the results in court," he said. "And although it can be frustrating at times, our members are still working hard and enthusiastic about going after bad guys."
Coun. Darrell Troock interjected how much he appreciates the efforts of the RCMP and that he is frustrated by what seems to be a politically motivated effort in Alberta to switch from the RCMP to municipal police.
"What a bunch of garbage that is. We don't need another police force, we need a judicial system that works. It is disheartening to hear that you are not going forward [with compliance checks] because you know it won't result in charges. It is a bad position to put you guys in," he said.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
