The number of reported thefts under $5,000 in St. Albert has more than doubled in the last four years.
The St. Albert RCMP’s quarterly report was released to the public last week. The report shared statistics from the RCMP’s first quarter of 2016, which deals with crime that occurred between April 1 and June 30.
The statistics show that thefts under $5,000 continue to be an issue across the region, with St. Albert being no exception. The local detachment dealt with 137 reports. That’s a 15 per cent increase over the same time period in 2015 and a 57.5 per cent increase over those months in 2012.
The report indicates that St. Albert’s Crime Reduction Unit has been using analytics to obtain a picture of where and when these crimes are taking place and these statistics have been successful in identifying suspects and obtaining search warrants.
There was also an increase in the number of vehicle collisions causing injury, from three in the first quarter of 2015 to 15 in the same timeframe this year.
Although it’s not clear why a spike is occurring, Insp. Ken Foster suggested it might have to do with distracted driving, which he dubbed “the new impaired driving.”
The St. Albert RCMP is targeting distracted drivers through education and increased enforcement. The report suggests the detachment is on track to exceed its goal of increasing enforcement by 25 per cent this year.
Last year, the RCMP conducted over 4,600 vehicle stops. In 2016, they are on track to hand out 35 per cent more warning and violation tickets.
St. Albert RCMP will also be rolling out a new program targeting student drivers. This fall, educational seminars offered in collaboration with the St. Albert School Division, Traffic Services and St. Albert RCMP school resource officers will promote safe driving habits and warn new drivers of the dangers of distracted driving.
The number of assaults (domestic in particular) has also gone up in the past year – from 21 to 36. There were 11 instances of criminal harassment between April and the end of June this year, compared to previous recent highs of five in 2013 and 2015.
The St. Albert RCMP will also focus on mental health.
Foster said mental health is a new “bold and aggressive” priority.
Given the detachment handles an average of one call per day involving a person with mental health issues, the St. Albert RCMP is working to train frontline staff on how to better interact with this population. Twenty-five per cent of personnel will receive the third-party workshop. The detachment is also preparing a business case with community partners to develop a coordinated and sustainable multi-disciplined Community Crises Team.
“Too often police are the last resort. We’re the bottom of the funnel. There’s nowhere else to go, and we need to change that,” said Foster.
Last week’s release marks the first time in the past few years that a quarterly, rather than annual, report has been released.
Since arriving in St. Albert last year, detachment commander Foster said his objective has been to improve reporting of RCMP priorities, benchmarks and progress to both council and the general public.
The detachment used to produce quarterly reports for council, but stopped when other city departments were told to report only once a year. In bringing back quarterly reporting, Foster took it a step further by releasing the information to the public as well.
“It lends into my philosophy that it’s important that we have public confidence, public trust and public support,” he said. “Without that we have nothing.”
The quarterly report updates the progress being made in four priority areas – property crime/drugs, police community relations/visibility, traffic safety, and support for persons with mental health issues – as set out by the St. Albert RCMP’s Annual Policing Plan.
Mayor Nolan Crouse was happy to receive the quarterly report and is sure the public will be too. He pointed out that information was always available to mayor and council upon request, but appreciates the re-established flow of information.
Crouse was happy to see the focus on increasing police visibility and engagement in the community. The detachment is ramping up its presence at block parties, school visits and bike/cart patrols.
Crouse admitted some of the current statistics are concerning, but insisted that St. Albert is still a safe place to live.
“The Crime Severity Index is up a little bit across Alberta, and in St. Albert as well – that’s a concern. But we’re still very low across Canada and Alberta,” said Crouse.
St. Albert’s CSI is 55.88 for 2015, compared to 102.28 provincially.
