After a few months of upticks in the crime rates in the community, there was good news in the latest RCMP Detachment stats for April.
Crime was down in several categories in April 2012 compared to the previous year, helping to bring down some of the increases seen this year in a few categories.
The report was compiled for North Battleford city council by S. Sgt. Phil Wilson of Battlefords RCMP Detachment.
Decreases were reported in person offences from 109 in April 2011 to 60 in April 2012, business break and enters were down from four to two, residential break and enters down from 10 to five, property offences down from 232 to 218, criminal code offences down from 209 to 187, Liquor Acts charges from 54 to 19, Provincial Traffic offences down from 326 to 251, municipal bylaws infractions from 15 to 11 and motor vehicle collisions down from 26 to 14.
Up for the month were drug offences - 30 compared to 16 reported the previous April. Impaired driving was also up to 42 compared to 30 in April 2011.
Calls for service were down significantly in April to 1,154 compared to 1,586 the previous April.
For the year to date calls for service remain up at 4,856 compared to 4,737 the previous year.
As far as the percentage change for the first four months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, person offences are now down 22 per cent, residential break and enters are down three per cent, liquor acts down 26 per cent and motor vehicle collisions down 49 per cent.
But increases are still being reported for the year in business break and enters (up 40 per cent), property offences (up 13 per cent), Criminal Code offences (up six per cent), drug offences (up 137 per cent), provincial traffic offences (up 43 per cent) and impaired driving (up 11 per cent).
While drug offence and traffic offence increases were up, greater enforcement was also seen. Wilson attributed the increases to more self-generated work by the police force.
The report also noted 13 foot patrols were logged downtown in April and that foot patrols and bike patrols would be stepped up during the warmer months. Those are to take place downtown and other areas.
