Crime stats in Bow Island remain stable

By Samantha Johnson

Commentator/Courier

Cst. Adam George, acting detachment commander for the of the Bow Island RCMP, was at Bow Island’s last council meeting to present the second quarter provincial policing report and crime statistics.

The chart shows statistics from 2021 compared to the previous four years and, overall, there has not been much change.

“Across the board there are no categories that have any significant increases that anyone has seen for the second quarter of the year,” reported George.

The statistics are divided into the  two main categories of property crimes and persons crimes.

“Property crimes would include things like break and enter, theft, and mischief. Persons crimes are anything committed against a person such as assault and domestic violence,” said George.

While there has been an increase in property crimes since last year, several significant arrests have been made.

RCMP members continue to work diligently to manage offenders in the area who are bound by release orders and criminal charges. Patrols are also a priority and in the second quarter, 512 proactive rural patrols were completed. The 30% increase in property crime was mostly the result of fraudulent telephone scams. There was a 50% reduction in vehicle thefts and a 75% reduction in mischief offences.

Persons crimes saw a considerable decrease in the second quarter of 2021. An 80% decrease in sexual assaults and 38% decrease in assaults were reported.

The detachment likes to be proactive, and fall initiatives include working with the schools, connecting with them and ensuring patrols are in place for school zones and other areas near schools. COVID is continuing to hinder the ability of RCMP members to engage with the community, but each Bow Island member has taken on the role of school liaison/school resource Officer this year. While not being able to enter the schools, they’ve been able to speak with students outside during lunch and after school.

As always traffic enforcement remains a priority. However, as George pointed out, “our overall proactive traffic enforcement has gone down over the past two years, as our activities have been somewhat limited due to COVID.  As restrictions lift, this would be expected to increase again.”

The other significant change relates to impaired driving investigations.

“Provincial legislation changed last year, which has led to the majority of impaired driving investigations being managed at the level of provincial sanctions as opposed to Criminal Code charges for impaired driving.  This has led to a drop in the number of Criminal Code traffic files,” said George.

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