Police responded to 19.3-per-cent more calls for service in 2022, and even with the start of a new year, that call volume shows no signs of slowing down.
The Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) handled 1,495 service calls in January, compared to 1,115 calls during the same time last year, a jump of 34.1 per cent, the January statistics report shows.
Not every service call is crime-related because the data also shows crimes against people declined 19.4 per cent year-over-year and crimes against property declined 2.4 per cent year-over-year.
“… what we have had reported so far this year are fewer crimes pretty much across the board. And that’s always a good sign, but again, it is a very small window,” Police Chief Rick Bourassa said after the Board of Police Commissioners’ Feb. 9 meeting.
“And when you have smaller numbers, what you get are larger percentages. So a 19-per-cent decrease sounds like an awful lot, but it might just be one incident in there because the numbers are so small,” he continued.
“As the year progresses, we do get a larger sample size and then we can start making some assessments. But we do watch not only the (statistical) extract, but we know what’s happening and we do keep an eye on those sorts of things, and it is important.”
Overall, the data is not showing anything that concerns the police, again because it’s difficult to gauge crime trends when looking at a small slice of the year, Bourassa added. The agency will watch for areas of concern and update the board if anything changes.
Crimes against people
Data for crimes against people from January 2023 versus January 2022 show:
- Homicide: 0 / 0
- Attempted murder: 0 / 0
- Assaults (sexual, common, with a weapon, aggravated, against police): 24 / 23
- Robbery: 0 / 1
- Total: 29 / 36; a 19.4-per-cent reduction
Crimes against property
Data for crimes against property from January 2023 versus January 2022 show:
- Break-ins (business, residence, other): 14 / 23
- Motor vehicle theft: 2 / 9
- Theft over $5,000: 1 / 0
- Theft under $5,000: 61 / 50
- Arson: 0 / 1
- Mischief under $5,000: 17 / 14
- Total: 121 / 124; a 2.4-per-cent reduction
Other violations
- Impaired driving: 5 / 9
- Failing to comply with a court order: 33 / 66
- Threats under section 810: 1 / 7
- Domestic disputes: 6 / 5
- Provincial liquor infractions: 11 / 11
- Vehicle collisions over $1,000: 20 / 35
- Drugs (cocaine, marijuana, meth, other): 2 / 5
The next police board meeting is Thursday, March 9.
