Crime is down overall in the West Shore from last year, according to the August MayorsB次元官网网址� report put out by the West Shore RCMP.
From Jan. 1 to Aug. 30, the West Shore was down 504 calls from the same time period in 2013, and most municipalities are following the same pattern of decrease.
Langford is down 301 calls, Colwood 137 calls, and View Royal and the Highlands are down 98 and 22 calls respectively.
The only anomaly is Metchosin, whose total calls increased by 58 over last year. The year-to-date increase is partly due to a busier August, which saw 17 more calls than in 2013.
The numbers arenB次元官网网址檛 always clear without interpretation and context, however, said detachment spokesperson Cpl. Kathy Rochlitz.
B次元官网网址淭he increase in files (in August) was generated by two individuals,B次元官网网址� she said, with the crimes being specific to property crime and not crimes against a person. B次元官网网址淭hat (kind of increase) can happen across the board in any municipality. ItB次元官网网址檚 not unusual that we have a bit of a rise,B次元官网网址� she said, adding a spike in calls is often attributed to one or two individuals or an active house in an area.
In a small municipality like Metchosin that B次元官网网址渄oesnB次元官网网址檛 have a significant call volume, even small increases are readily noticed,B次元官网网址� Rochlitz said.
The report listed includes every type of call, with more than 100 categories separating varying levels of property and personal crime.
B次元官网网址淥verall violent crime in Canada is decreasing and we can see that in our area. But thereB次元官网网址檚 still a lot of work to be done,B次元官网网址� Rochlitz said.
According to West Shore RCMP crime analyst Oona Olson, many calls for service the detachment receives are social in nature B次元官网网址� those involving people B次元官网网址� such as landlord disputes, violence in relationships, plus mental health or substance abuse calls.
Almost 10 per cent of last yearB次元官网网址檚 call volume was traffic related, something thatB次元官网网址檚 been a top priority for the detachment, said Rochlitz.
And though B次元官网网址渞eports of crime are down across all jurisdictions, our workload continues to rise,B次元官网网址� she added. The detachment continues to work on its crime prevention programs, such as prolific offender management, the Lock it or Lose it campaign and Block Watch.
The stats from the mayorsB次元官网网址� report, while indicative of the current trend, could change with the natural ebb and flow of crime rates, Rochlitz said.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 policing for you. Nothing is ever consistent.B次元官网网址�
acowan@goldstreamgazette.com
