ESTEVAN — The Estevan Police Service has seen an increase in the number of Criminal Code charges in the first eight months of the year, but overall call volumes continue to be down considerably.
According to figures released at the Sept. 21 meeting of the Estevan board of police commissioners, the EPS had 525 total calls for service in August, a fraction of the 1,424 they received in the same month the year before.
Meanwhile, total calls for service were at 4,432 for the first eight months of the year, down 35.2 per cent from 6,837 for the first eight months in 2021.
As for the Criminal Code statistics, there were 11 crimes against the person in August, with nine assaults and two sexual crimes, compared to seven for August 2021.
So far this year, the EPS has had 99 crimes against the person, with 73 assaults, 19 sexual crimes, six assaults causing bodily harm and one robbery. There were 88 such charges in the first eight months of last year.
Crimes against property were at 32 for the first eight months of the year, led by 18 thefts under $5,000, eight mischief/wilful damage complaints, three residential break and enters, one business break and enter, one other break and enter and one theft of a motor vehicle. There were 24 such infractions in August 2021.
There were 218 crimes against property from Jan. 1-Aug. 31, up 17 per cent from the 186 for that stretch in 2021. This year’s crimes against property have included 101 thefts under $5,000, 83 mischief/wilful damage complaints, 16 residential break and enters, four business break and enters, 10 thefts of a motor vehicle, three thefts over $5,000 and one other break and enter.
There was just one charge for possession under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in August, compared to none for August 2021.
Twenty-five charges were laid under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in the first eight months of this year, with 17 for trafficking and eight for possession, versus 27 a year earlier.
Nine charges were laid for Criminal Code traffic violations last month, including eight for impaired/exceed-related offences and one for dangerous driving or other. Eleven were laid in the same month last year.
So far this year, there have been 69 such violations – 55 for impaired/exceed-related offences, eight for impairment by drug and six for dangerous driving and other. There were 89 Criminal Code traffic violations in the first eight months of 2021.
Five-year averages for each category are 85.6 for crimes against the person, 210.2 for crimes against property, 83.8 for Criminal Code traffic violations and 33.2 for Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
When asked by Councillor Lindsay Clark about what constitutes a call for service, Police Chief Rich Lowen said any call that generates a number in the police recording system would be counted. If an officer stops somebody on the street and gives a warning, it would not be counted.
Also released was the August report for Spec. Const. Morgan Prentice, the city’s bylaw enforcement office. It showed 28 animal related calls, 38 vehicle infractions, including 31 parking violations and 65 unkempt property inspections, among other occurrences.
So far this year she has had 614 unkempt property inspections, by far the largest number among her activities.
