In response to recent requests from the public for more information on crime statistics in North Battleford, the Battlefords RCMP detachment has released numbers spanning the past five years.
The crime numbers span the first 10 months of every year for the past five years, comparing numbers for the January through October period. According to RCMP Sgt. Neil Tremblay, the RCMP plans to update those numbers with a follow-up news release at the end of the year.
The numbers confirm what many in the community already suspect, that overall crime is on the rise from 2012. However, it is only up slightly and remains down compared to 2011 and 2010 numbers.
Total criminal code offences for the first 10 months of 2013 are at 5,118, compared to 5094 for the same period in 2012, 5438 in 2011, 5277 in 2010 and 4834 in 2009.
Residential break and enters, person offences and property offences are all up compared to last year, though the category "other Criminal Code offences" did show an decrease.
Here is a complete rundown of the numbers from the Battlefords RCMP detachment for the first 10 months of each year since 2009:
