Battlefords RCMP Detachment had more good news in its crime statistics report for February.
Crime incidents were down sharply in February right across the board, with sharp decreases in break and enters, person offences, criminal code offences and drug offences noted.
The report was presented at Monday's city council meeting. Local RCMP detachment commander Insp. John Sutherland compiled the report but was not in attendance that night.
Sutherland was heading to Ottawa this week for a national symposium entitled "Police and Community Partnerships," an event which was also to be attended by Mayor Ian Hamilton.
The numbers for February presented at Monday's meeting continued what has been a noticeable downward crime trend seen in the RCMP statistics for several months.
In February 2014 numbers as compared to the same month in 2013, person offences fell from 51 to 33, business break and enters were down from two to one, residential break and enters were down from six to three, property offences were down from 173 to 110, criminal code offences were down from 114 to 69, drug offences were down from 28 to three, liquor acts were down from 22 to 19, motor vehicle collisions were down from 25 to 12, provincial traffic offences were down from 91 to 72, and impaired operation of a motor vehicle were down from 27 to 15. Municipal bylaws infractions were up, however, from six to 10.
Overall calls for service for the month were down sharply from 911 in February 2014 to 568 in Februrary 2014.
The February numbers contributed to positive numbers for the year as a whole. For the first two months of 2014, person offences are down 40 per cent (121 to 72), business break and enters down 75 per cent (from four to one), residential break and enters down 36 per cent (from 11 to seven), property offences down 19 per cent (from 329 to 265), criminal code offences down 29 per cent (from 227 to 161), drug offences down 67 per cent (from 51 to 17), motor vehicle collisions down 41 per cent (from 59 to 35), and impaired operation of a motor vehicle down 19 per cent from 52 to 42.
Increases for the year are being shown in Liquor Act charges (up 29 per cent), provincial traffic offences (up 21 per cent) and municipal bylaw enforcement (up 39 per cent).
Overall, through February calls for service have declined from 1,888 for the first two months of 2013 to 1,340 for the same period in 2014.
Notable about the February RCMP statistical report was a change in presentation compared to previous months. Missing was the computerized printout of the City of North Battleford's occurrence statistics, a printout that normally would show numbers for specific crimes within the general crime categories.
This printout, normally about nine pages long, has long been a regular part of the RCMP monthly report to council. It listed numbers for crime occurrences in specific categories such as assaults, sexual assaults, robberies, types of thefts, types of drug possession and so on.
The explanation provided in Insp. Sutherland's report was the omission had to do with recent changes to the reporting process.
"In an effort to streamline the reporting process and in keeping with initiatives to reduce the workload for staff at the Battlefords Detachment, statistics to complete this report are now being compiled at the RCMP Operation Strategy Branch in Regina," Sutherland stated. "As a result the computerized printout of the City of North Battleford's occurrence statistics has not been provided."
However, Sutherland did indicate the details were available to council at any time. "If you are interested in viewing the same, we would be happy to request it from Regina and provide it."
Also not included in the February report to council was "activities of interest" outlining specific crime incidents of note during the previous month. That section was reinstated briefly late last year but no longer appears to be included in the monthly reports to council.
The result was a relatively truncated February RCMP crime statistics report that was a grand total of four pages long. Still, what councillors did see was encouraging.
Councillor Greg Lightfoot noted "very promising numbers," crediting that to recent crime prevention efforts. The cold weather conditions that month were also cited.
"It's only a couple of months but I hope it carries forth," said Lightfoot of the downward trend.
Still, Councillor Ryan Bater stated the need for residents to remain vigilant as warmer weather approaches. He pointed to reports from RCMP of increased vandalism to cars in recent weeks.
"I think that people have to remember that with warmer temperatures you do have to be vigilant, lock your doors at night," said Bater.
