Police are seeing an increase in thefts this year compared to last year, which the police chief attributes to a worsening financial situation for some residents.
The Moose Jaw Police Service presented crime statistics for the first three months of this year during the recent Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting. One part of the report looked at crimes against property and other offences.
Crimes against property
Thefts and mischief (property damage) were two areas that saw notable increases during the first quarter of this year, the report said.
The data for 2023, 2022 and 2021 show:
- Break-ins (business, residence, other): 54 / 51 / 83
- Motor vehicle theft: 11 / 17 / 13
- Theft over $5,000: 9 / 3 / 4; 200-per-cent increase year-over-year
- Theft under $5,000: 205 / 166 / 140; 23.5-per-cent increase year-over-year
- Arson: 0 / 4 / 4
- Mischief (property damage): 59 / 44 / 81; 34-per-cent increase year-over-year
- Total: 448 / 383 / 424; 17-per-cent increase.
Most thefts under $5,000 are due to shoplifting and people stealing bikes, Chief Rick Bourassa said. Meanwhile, it’s not unusual to see an increase in thefts — and assaults — right now since those actions reflect some people’s current negative financial realities.
Other offences
The data for 2023, 2022 and 2021 for other offences show:
- Impaired driving: 20 / 28 / 20
- Threats under section 810: 13 / 22 / 13
- Domestic disputes: 11 / 27 / 45
- Provincial liquor infractions: 24 / 31 / 35
- Vehicle collisions over $1,000: 52 / 85 / 62
- Summary offence tickets: 503 / 337 / 523; 49.3-per-cent increase
- Drugs (cocaine, marijuana, meth, other): 11 / 9 / 19
Meanwhile, there have been 4,295 service calls year-to-date, compared to 3,791 last year and 3,495 two years ago. This represents a 13.3-per-cent year-over-year increase.
Drug issues
Supt. Taylor Mickelborough discussed the “other CDSA drugs” category that had increased by 600 per cent year over year — seven incidents from one — noting one incident was incorrectly added, two were due to vehicle stops and four occurred because of investigations.
He noted that these types of investigations “come in flurries” when officers are collecting information, while the data is on par with 2021, which had six drug busts year-to-date. He wasn’t concerned about the differences in numbers this year versus 2022 because of ongoing investigations and when officers reported their findings.
“I know that our officers, whether they’re front-line patrol members (or other positions), are being very diligent to look for signs of drug trafficking,” he added. “And I can tell you our detective unit is working very hard to talk to people, see what’s going on in the community and do our best to provide some enforcement.”
Traffic enforcement
The police service has little data about vehicle collisions because it only responds to incidents where towing is required or a criminal offence occurred, Bourassa said.
“The whole focus on traffic enforcement is to enhance safety on our roads,” he continued.
Meanwhile, the number of service calls shows that police continue to be “quite busy,” while most incidents are for social issues and thus require partnerships with other community agencies such as health and social services, Bourassa added. The MJPS is not at a “breaking point” even though its members are handling more requests.
The next police board meeting is Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m. at the library.
