The latest local crime statistics were provided during the recent meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners.
Police Chief Rick Bourassa noted that there was nothing of significance to highlight since January was the year’s first month and it wasn’t possible to identify trends so soon.
The one area the police chief noted was that calls for service were up slightly compared to last January, at 1,172 calls versus 1,115 calls. This represents an increase of 5.1 per cent.
According to the statistics, the category of crimes against the person was down 9.5 per cent compared to last January, with 38 incidents compared to 42. The two areas with the largest growth were sexual assaults and domestic disputes. There were five sexual assaults this January compared to two last year, while there were 18 domestic disputes this January compared to 10 last year.
Crimes against the person were down 1.1 per cent compared to last January, with 87 incidents versus 88 incidents, the statistics showed. One of the bigger increases occurred in mischief over $5,000 (property damage), with 21 incidents compared to 13 episodes last January.
The next meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners is Thursday, March 9.
