ESTEVAN - The Estevan Police Service had a small increase in call volumes for September, but the total number of calls for the year remains down.
The EPS responded to 607 calls for service in September, up 18 from the 589 they had in September 2023, according to numbers released at the Oct. 28 meeting of the Estevan board of police commissioners.
In the first nine months of this year, the EPS received 5,554 calls for service, down 11.2 per cent for the same period a year earlier.
Nine crimes against the person were reported, with seven assaults, one sexual crime and one assault causing bodily harm. Ten such crimes occurred in September 2023.
In the first nine months of 2024, the EPS had 128 crimes against the person, with 90 assaults, 24 sexual crimes, 10 assaults causing bodily harm, three robberies and one attempted murder. There were 115 crimes against the person for the same period in 2023.
The EPS had 38 crimes against property in September, with 19 thefts under $5,000, 13 mischief/willful damage complaints, and two calls each for theft of motor vehicles, residential break and enter and business break and enter.
From Jan. 1-Sept. 30, there have been 339 crimes against property, with 182 thefts under $5,000, 99 mischief/willful damage complaints, 23 thefts of motor vehicles, 21 residential break and enters, seven business break and enters, two break and enters listed as other, and five thefts over $5,000.
In September 2023, there were 32 crimes against property, and 292 such crimes in the first nine months of last year.
Chief Jamie Blunden said the number of vehicle thefts is up this year, but a lot of them are incidents of taking a vehicle without the owner's consent. In most cases, it's a family member taking a vehicle without permission.
Blunden said vehicle thefts are a much lower concern here than in Ontario or Quebec. Vehicle makers are taking measures to protect them from being stolen, but criminals find a way around them.
"It comes down to making sure your doors are locked, your keys are out and sometimes you have to … put them in your garage," said Blunden.
The EPS had three incidents under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act for September, with one for trafficking and two for possession, compared to two a year earlier. In the first nine months of the year, there have been 23 calls under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, with 13 for trafficking and 10 for possession. There were 31 such incidents in the first nine months of 2023.
Six Criminal Code traffic violations occurred in September, with five for impaired/exceed-related offences and one for impairment by drug, down from 18 the previous year – a trend Blunden was pleased to see. Through Sept. 30, there were 91 incidents, down from 119 for the previous year. There have been 61 incidents for impaired/exceed-related offences, 17 for impairment by drug and 13 for dangerous driving.
The five-year average for incidents is 6,137, with averages of 113 for crimes against the person, 275 for crimes against property, 93 for Criminal Code traffic violations and 28 for CDSA violations.
Mayor Roy Ludwig chaired the meeting. Since Ludwig is not seeking re-election this year, it's likely the final open, public meeting for him at the helm as mayor. He has been in the role since 2012 and on city council since 1994.
