The third quarter crime statistics for the town of Battleford are out, and they are not good.
Based on numbers submitted for the Battleford Town detachment of the RCMP, big spikes were recorded in person offences, property crimes and criminal code offences in the July to September period compared to the same period a year ago. Crime was up in all the categories compared to the same period last year, with the exception of business and residential break and enters and municipal bylaw offences.
For the third quarter, person offences were up to 23 from six a year ago; property offences up to 76 from 43; criminal code offences up to 50 from 19; three drug offences were reported compared to none the year before; seven Liquor Act offences were recorded compared to three the year before; 72 provincial traffic offences were recorded compared to 35; and 13 impaired operation of a motor vehicle offences were recorded compared to three the year before.
There were no business break and enters and four residential break and enters recorded, compared to two and five, respectively, in each category in the third quarter of 2009.
Seven municipal bylaw offences were also recorded, down from 13.
In total there were 637 calls for service during the third quarter of 2010, up from 625 for the same period the previous year.
The numbers for the first three quarters of the year have not registered as sizable a spike, but there are still increases so far in the categories of person offences (37 compared to 19 in 2009), property offences (115 compared to 100), criminal code offences (76 compared to 54) and impaired operation of a motor vehicle (19 compared to 14.) Residential break and enters are unchanged at eight, while business break and enters are up to four from three.
Overall, provincial traffic offences are down for the year from 205 to 134.
The statistical data for the town of Battleford was prepared by S.Sgt. Phil Wilson, and was presented at Monday night's town council meeting by Sgt. Rob Lutzko of Battlefords RCMP.
Lutzko noted many of the property offences involved mischief, that he says is common during the summer months when the weather gets warmer.
A concerned Mayor Chris Odishaw asked Lutzko about the troubling crime spike numbers, asking if it was a seasonal situation.
"Any increase in crime stats is looked at as a concern," Lutzko replied.
He said the spike could be something as simple as a new group of people moving into the community to commit crimes. Once the RCMP identified those individuals and arrested them, the numbers would come down to normal, he said.
The summer months had seen some stepped-up activity by the detachment in Battleford during BridgeFest.
Lutzko reported that an operational plan was created to deal with the security, traffic and other pressures created by the event. RCMP members created an active presence on the grounds by doing foot patrols and traffic control, with four members on the ground at all times with an additional eight members taking part in the closing events.
